Family concerns 'too often disregarded' in Star Hobson death, report finds
An inquiry is calling for dedicated child protection teams to be set up in every area of England
A review into the deaths of Star Hobson in Bradford and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes in Solihull has warned family concerns were "too often disregarded".
The inquiry is calling for dedicated child protection teams, made up of police, healthcare staff and social workers should be set up in every local area.
It also says the way child protection is approached in England needs to "change fundamentally".
The national review found that the fatal abuses suffered by Arthur, six, and Star, 16 months, "are not isolated incidents", but reflective of wider problems with poor information sharing and weak decision-making.
Professionals were increasingly kept at arms length by those perpetrating the abuse, and they failed to identify a "pattern of parental disengagement and avoidant behavior", the report also found.
And the Government should establish a national child protection board to better co-ordinate child protection policy.
Current system "not fit for purpose" - chairwoman
In a foreword to the report, review chairwoman Annie Hudson said the current safeguarding system is not broken, but there is too much ambiguity and inconsistency which does not serve children, their families or professionals well.
Existing multi-agency safeguarding arrangements "are not yet fit for purpose everywhere" she added.
The review was commissioned in December 2021 by Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi following the deaths of Arthur and Star to look at what could be done to prevent things from going so "horrifyingly wrong" in future.
The panel interviewed just under 80 professionals in Bradford, Birmingham and Solihull; the children's family members, including Star's mother and her mother's partner; and drew on 1,500 rapid reviews of serious incidents since it was formed.
It found that child protection work is inherently complex, but the current system does not give professionals the best opportunity at cutting through this complexity "to get to the truth of what life is like for children".
It identified a reliance on quickly pulling together a team from overstretched agencies every time there is a child protection concern, which is "certainly inefficient and often ineffective".
The review noted the importance of challenging assumptions and biases relating to culture, ethnicity, gender and sexuality when safeguarding children.
Star Hobson's mother "failed" by social services, family say
The great-grandfather of murdered toddler Star Hobson has said she and her mother Frankie Smith were failed by social services.
Smith, 20, was jailed last year for her role in the death of her 16-month-old daughter, who was killed by Smith's former partner Savannah Brockhill.
Star's great-grandfather, David Fawcett, 62, spoke of his anger at learning social workers' investigation into Star's case was closed a week before she died.
"Reading between the lines, they didn't have the manpower, which is why they had to close the case - it's pretty damning," he said.
"The proposals they've put forward are positive because it's communication - that's where Star was failed, a lack of communication between different authorities.
"How it was run before was pretty shambolic but I am optimistic something can be done and lessons will be learned."
Mr. Fawcett said he would visit Smith in prison and talk her through the report's contents as she would be "too upset".
"She's only got me to rely on at the moment," he said.
"For a lot of the family it's still too raw, a lot of them can't forgive Frankie, they think she could have done more to save Star and they don't want to speak to her at this moment.
"We were always close, me and Frankie, she was like my daughter, it's pretty heartbreaking.
"She was failed herself, really, she was abused.
"What happened to Star, that's what we thought was going to happen to Frankie."
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel said an early opportunity to help Smith, who was 17 when she became pregnant, was missed as no antenatal health visit took place, and that she was not offered the support of the teenage pregnancy midwife as she was over 16.
It also said that domestic abuse between Brockhill and Smith, who met when Star was five months old, was not assessed, with Smith "not given sufficient space to disclose what was happening to her".
Their trial heard that social services were contacted five times by concerned relatives and friends, with police also visiting the family.
Mr. Fawcett's partner Anita Smith, 70, called social workers in May 2020 after family members told her Brockhill was "slam-choking" Star - lifting her by the throat and throwing her on a bed.
He said: "When we made the referral and they went to the house, they should have come to us first to understand why we'd done it.
"If we'd have been allowed to go to the house that day, I think Star would have been with us today."
Kersten England, chief executive of Bradford Council, said: "The murder of Star Hobson was horrific and distressing and I am deeply sorry that opportunities to protect her from such cruel and despicable abuse were missed.
"Our thoughts are, and always will be, with those who loved her.
"The expert report is tough to read but it is absolutely essential that we understand in detail what went wrong.
"I accept its findings and assure everyone that firm action has been and will continue to be taken to strengthen our child protection processes and help prevent a tragic case like this from happening again."