Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill introduced to parliament
The legislation aims to identify children in England who are not currently in school and grant increased powers for councils.
Today’s date, Tuesday 17th December 2024, is important for two reasons. The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill has been introduced in Parliament and Sara Sharif’s father and stepmother are due to be sentenced for the murder of their 10-year-old daughter. The latter motivated MPs to create a Bill that looks to protect children’s safety.
Sara Sharif was murdered on 9th August 2023 by her father Urfan Sharif and her stepmother Batool. The couple physically abused the 10-year-old for the majority of her life and eventually pulled her out of school in early 2023 to allegedly home school her.
During her youth Sara attended the local St Mary’s Primary School where her teachers continuously expressed concerns for her safety to social services. One example is Ms Simmons said in March 2023 that despite Sara wearing a hijab to school she could see injuries appearing on Sara’s face. First on 10th March, she saw a bruise underneath her chin and one on her cheek which Sara said she got from falling over on some roller-skates, but she told her friends she fell off her bike.
Following this, Surrey County Council’s children services looked into the concerns for six days, but ultimately dropped the case despite the local authority knowing the long history of allegations of violence in the family and the involvement of the police dating as far back as 2010.
When Sara was pulled out of St Mary’s in April 2023 it ended any chance of the school monitoring her – though the introduction of the new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will try to ensure no other case like this occurs again.
The legislation will make sure teachers and schools are always involved in decisions around safeguarding children in their area, and that if a child’s home environment is assessed as unsuitable or unsafe, councils have the power to weigh in.
What’s more, a personal number will be given to children across services, similar to an adult’s national insurance number so they can be put on a register which identifies children in England who are not currently attending school. The register is expected to come into force by the end of 2025.
Commenting on the introduction of the new bill, education secretary Bridget Phillipson, said: ‘In recent years, too many children have been failed by their last line of defence: the state.
‘This bill will be a seminal moment for child protection. No more words, no more lessons learnt. The government will put children first at every turn.’
‘That means a child-centred government, with better protections for young people and real join up between children’s social care, schools and local services. Alongside further measures to drive high rising standards in our schools, this bill will deliver on this government’s Plan for Change, so that all children, whatever their circumstances, can achieve and thrive,’ Phillipson continued.
Echoing a similar tone, Cllr Arooj Shah, chair of the Local Government Association’s children and young people board, said: ‘We are pleased government is acting on a long-standing call by the LGA for councils to have and maintain Children Not in School registers.
‘However this must be combined with powers for councils to meet face-to-face with children, which is vital to allow councils to ensure children are receiving a suitable education in a safe environment.
‘Unique identifiers for children is a positive step and should be accompanied by wider reform to facilitate better information sharing including investment in systems and administrative support.’
‘It is also good councils will have greater powers to direct school admissions, and failing council-maintained schools will not automatically become academies, which we have long-called for,’ Cllr Shah added. ‘We would also like to see proposals around schools and safeguarding go further, with education providers named as a statutory safeguarding partner.’
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