BASW responds to the murder of Star Hobson

BASW England wishes to express our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and those affected by the horrific murder of Star Hobson.

Every death of a child in such horrific circumstances is a loss too many.

Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this terrible tragedy at this sad time.

Safeguarding is incredibly complex work, and we must await the findings and learning from the Local Safeguarding Practice Review. It is important that the review also focuses on a broader systems perspective including the challenges of safeguarding within the context of a pandemic.

Social workers are some of the most dedicated people working on the frontline of child protection. However, they do not work in silos, they are one part of a multi-agency safeguarding approach. They work ‘with’ children, families, communities, and agencies including the police, judiciary, health, education, voluntary and community services and other key partners to safeguard children.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and social workers continue to support thousands of children every day, 24 hours. Often, the positive work that improves the lives of children and the hard work of families in challenging circumstances goes unrecognised.

Whilst not all child deaths are preventable, we must ensure that we enhance support systems that can help keep children safe and supported including creating the ‘time’, ‘support’, ‘supervision’ and training for social workers to do their job.