The murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif in 2023 exposed devastating and preventable failures across England’s safeguarding system. In this blog, Dr Richard Dune examines the findings of the official Child Safeguarding Practice Review, which revealed serious breakdowns in information sharing, court processes, domestic abuse risk management, and professional oversight. He explores how flawed decisions, cultural hesitancy, and weak accountability allowed known risks to go unchallenged, ultimately costing Sara her life. The article calls for urgent systemic reform - stronger leadership, clearer thresholds, and integrated multi-agency working - to ensure no child is ever failed in the same way again.

Children’s mental health services in England have long been fragmented, creating barriers to timely and coordinated care. In this blog, Dr Richard Dune examines West Sussex County Council’s pioneering “Psychological Hub”, a unified, psychology-led model that brings together education, health, and social care under one leadership team. He explores how this integrated approach could simplify access, strengthen governance, and improve outcomes for children and families. The article also highlights lessons for health and care leaders on workforce capacity, data interoperability, and compliance, showing how joined-up systems like ComplyPlus™ can support safer, more effective, and sustainable mental health provision.