Child safeguarding issues during coronavirus pandemic kept boss 'up at night' with worry

Paula Mead, the independent chairman of the Northumberland and North Tyneside Safeguarding Board (SAB) referenced the horrific murders of Arthur Labinjo Hughes and Star Hobson in 2020 after she was asked by Coun Wayne Daley whether there were any safeguarding concerns that kept her “up at night with worry”.

Mrs Mead was speaking at a meeting of Northumberland County Council’s family and children’s services overview and scrutiny committee, which Coun Daley chairs.

She said: “Over the pandemic years, it has been how will we continue to safeguard children we haven’t got eyes on in the way we used to?

“These things can happen anywhere. We have to face this. We get together to look and say this is what happens in other areas – we need to make sure there are circumstances in place to make sure it doesn’t happen to a child in Northumberland.

“The Arthur (Labinjo Hughes) and Star (Hobson) cases in particular were high profile, but other cases happen. We go and check over process, but it doesn’t mean you can stop everything.”

Mrs Mead was speaking in relation to a report which sets out Northumberland’s multi-agency safeguarding arrangements for children and young people – an annual report to ensure transparency for stakeholders and to show how effective arrangements have been in practice.

The report identified that neglect continued to be a “stubborn issue” in both Northumberland and the wider North East, as was domestic violence.