A council has issued an apology after accepting that opportunities to protect tragic tot Star Hobson from terrifying abuse were missed and that action should have been taken to save her.
Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe has apologised to the family of Star, stating that signs of abuse were missed and that action should have been taken.
The 16-month-old toddler, from Keighley, died after enduring months of abuse and torture, Yorkshire Live reports.Family members had pleaded with the authorities to act.Bradford Council's chief executive, Kersten England, said that she was "deeply sorry that opportunities to protect her from such cruel and despicable abuse were missed."Their comments follow a national review into two child deaths - Star Hobson, who was murdered in Keighley by Savannah Brockhill, with Star's mum Frankie Smith found guilty of causing or allowing her death - and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, who died in June 2020 in Solihull after months of abuse.The review has recommended the creation of dedicated child protection teams made up of police, healthcare staff, and social workers in every local area.The way child protection is approached in England needs to “change fundamentally”, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel said.Its 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.Concerns raised by their wider family members were “too often” disregarded and not properly investigated by police and social workers, the review said.Professionals were increasingly kept at arms length by those perpetrating the abuse, the report also found.It recommends dedicated
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