Inquiry into death of Khyra Ishaq to be published today

Jul 27 2010 by Paul Dale, Birmingham Post

Under-fire social workers in Birmingham were today bracing themselves for more criticism as the long-awaited findings of an inquiry into the death of Khyra Ishaq are revealed.

The seven-year-old girl horrifically starved to death in Birmingham two years ago.

Khyra died at home in Handsworth in May 2008 after being removed from school, locked in her bedroom and abused by her mother and stepfather.

Shocked pathologists who conducted a post-mortem likened her physical condition to that of Japanese prison camp inmates in the Second World War who died of malnutrition.

The tragedy occurred even though teachers told council and education officials they feared for her future and urged social services to intervene.

The Birmingham Safeguarding Children board will reveal a 186-page “lessons to be learned” report, detailing the role played in Khyra’s death by the city council, police and health services.

It will make recommendations about how such an outcome could be avoided in future.

The report is expected to urge the council and other public bodies to work more closely together and to share information more effectively.

It will not seek to blame individuals for Khyra’s death, although the council is already pursuing disciplinary action against some officials.

A Family Court hearing after Khyra’s death heard how blunders by social workers and education officials saw her slip through the net.

The council allowed her to be taught at home even though her mother did not comply with the law and failed to provide a home education plan. Social workers missed an opportunity to take action after mistakenly believing they required the mother’s permission to conduct an assessment on the tragic seven-year-old.

High Court judge Mrs Justice King said: “It is beyond belief that in 2008 in a bustling, energetic and modern city like Birmingham, a child of seven was withdrawn from school and thereafter kept in squalid conditions for five months before dying of starvation.”