Statement from the Education Secretary ahead of tomorrow’s report
from the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel on the deaths
of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson
Education Secretary, , said:
“Nothing is more tragic than the death of a child, but when that
child dies as a result of abuse or neglect it is
incomprehensible. The deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star
Hobson appalled the nation and highlighted the urgent need for
action and change.
“I commissioned the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel to
conduct an independent national review into Arthur and Star’s
deaths because the enormity of the two cases made clear that
there remain some very hard questions to answer about how we
protect vulnerable children, despite the improvements made since
2010.
“I would like to thank Arthur and Star’s extended families for
their important contributions, under extremely difficult
circumstances. I’m also grateful to Annie Hudson, chair of the
Panel, her team and all the professionals in Bradford and
Solihull who engaged with the review.
“As Education Secretary, but also formerly as Children’s
Minister, I have met and worked with some of the most dedicated
social workers in the country. Every day they protect and support
families without public recognition. But we must be honest about
where we can strengthen the system so that it helps, never
hinders, good decision-making for everyone involved in child
protection: the police, health services and children’s services.
“We must waste no time learning from the findings of this review
– enough is enough. I will set up a new Child Protection
Ministerial group, a first and immediate step in responding to
these findings, before setting out a bold implementation plan
later this year to bring about a fundamental shift in how we
support better outcomes for our most vulnerable children and
families.”
