Liberal Democrat Response to the Sara Sharif Review

Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council have expressed their profound sadness and distress at the findings of the Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review into the death of ten-year-old Sara Sharif, who was so brutally murdered by her father and stepmother at their family home in Woking in August 2023.

The independent report lays bare, in painful detail, how from birth Sara was known to local services and repeatedly the subject of safeguarding concerns. Yet throughout her short and troubled life, she was failed by the very authorities — including Surrey County Council — that were supposed to keep her safe.

Cllr Paul Follows, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said:

“On behalf of our Group, I want to express our deepest sorrow at the suffering endured by Sara — suffering inflicted by those who should have loved and protected her. No child should ever experience such pain or neglect.

“We are heartbroken that the systems designed to protect vulnerable children were riddled with gaps, delays, and fragmented processes — gaps that, tragically, meant there was no effective safety net to catch and protect this little girl. Time and again there were missed opportunities to intervene, and those failures must be acknowledged in full.

“We are also deeply concerned by Surrey County Council’s handling of this case and by its response to the review. Despite repeated requests, opposition members were not briefed in advance of the report’s publication, and to date no officers or senior politicians have accepted responsibility for the failings identified.

“We believe the Council’s public response has lacked the compassion, humility and urgency that are surely required in the face of such a devastating tragedy. This raises wider concerns about how the Authority approaches its duty to protect and support vulnerable children and families across Surrey.”

“Supported by our MP’s in parliament, the Liberal Democrat Group at Surrey County Council is repeating our calls for systemic, national reform and for a comprehensive and transparent review of Surrey’s safeguarding systems — one that ensures real accountability, learning and change so that no other child is ever so grievously let down again.”