Source: Child Safeguarding Review Panel published on this website Tuesday 11 March 2025 by Jill Powell

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has today (11th March 2025) published a report about 53 children from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds who died or were seriously harmed between January 2022 and March 2024. These children were subject to horrific abuse, including sexual abuse, fatal assault and neglect, with 27 children dying as a result.

The report sought to understand the specific safeguarding needs of children from these specific ethnic backgrounds and how agencies helped to protect them before it was too late. It has revealed a significant silence in talking about race and racism in child safeguarding, with many local areas failing to acknowledge the impact of race, ethnicity and culture.

The key findings include:

• Limited Attention to Race and Ethnicity: the analysis reveals a concerning lack of focus on race, ethnicity, and culture in both safeguarding practice and reviews. This oversight has resulted in insufficient critical analysis and reflection on how racial bias impacts decision-making and service offers to children.
• Silence on Racism: the report identifies a pervasive silence and hesitancy to address racism and its manifestations. This silence renders the safeguarding needs of Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage children invisible, both in practice and in the system for learning from reviews.
• Missed Opportunities: in failing to acknowledge race, racial bias and racism, the current system misses many opportunities to learn from incidents where Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage children have been seriously harmed or died. This failure to see the totality of children’s lives or to scrutinise how racial bias may have affected decision-making leaves children vulnerable and at risk of harm, without the necessary support and protection.

Risk-assessment and decision-making is a common theme across all safeguarding reviews, but this analysis has highlighted specific issues in relation to race. For example, in 19 reviews risk had been at least partially recognised, but this had not translated into action. This included several examples about girls from Asian and Mixed Asian Heritages who made disclosures about sexual abuse, but these appeared either to have been disregarded as untrue or were not carefully followed up.

In one review family members had vocalised that they perceived practitioners to be racist. However, the review appeared to distance itself from any possibility of racism by noting that practitioners had been mindful of the ethnicity of the family. The review then concluded these accusations were groundless, but did not provide evidence about whether the claims had been investigated or provide any detail about how this judgement had been made.

The Panel’s report contains a number of recommendations for local areas so they can better protect Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children who are at risk of harm. The lead recommendations include:

• Acknowledging and Challenging Racism: local leaders should ensure that appropriate internal structures are in place to support practitioners to recognise, discuss and challenge internal and institutional racism.
• Empowering Practitioners: creating conditions that empower practitioners to have conversations with children and families about race and identity. This includes building skills and confidence and ensuring there are safe opportunities for self-reflection within teams and in supervision to acknowledge their own biases.
• Reviewing Local Strategies: Child Safeguarding Partnerships should review their local strategies and approaches to addressing race, racism, and racial bias in their work with Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage children.

These recommendations are a crucial step towards creating a more inclusive and effective safeguarding system that recognises and addresses the unique challenges faced by Black, Asian, and Mixed Heritage children.

Annie Hudson, Chair of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel said:

“Racism is insidious, pervasive and deeply embedded in society. The recognition of racism and racial bias as a societal issue is a crucial step in reflecting on, and learning more about, how Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children are protected from abuse and neglect.

“The Panel recognises the important work being undertaken in some safeguarding partnerships to address race and racism and to develop anti-racist practice approaches. However, evidence from this analysis indicates that too often critical questions are avoided, evaded and sidestepped.

“As part of the analysis, the Panel examined its own role and biases in our work with safeguarding partnerships and in national reviews. We are clear we have more to do and want this report to contribute to local and national discussions, building collective knowledge and understanding.

“This is essential if we are to ensure that Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children are safeguarded and receive the help and support they need to thrive and have happy and safe lives.”

Source: Northamptonshire Police published on this website Friday 7 March 2025 by Jill Powell

A 24-year-old man who sexually assaulted a girl and was found with more than 5,000 indecent images of children has been jailed.

Hassan Subhan, previously of Conyngham Road, Northampton, first came to Northamptonshire Police’s attention in June 2022 when intelligence suggested that he may be in possession of indecent images of children.

He was investigated by the Force’s Online Child Abuse Investigation Unit (OCAIU) which found more than 5,000 indecent images of children on his electronic devices, 2,069 of those being Category A – the most serious. 

Officers also found first generation videos that he had created of him sexually assaulting a five-year-old child.

Officers arrested Subhan and identified the child in the videos who was safeguarded.

He was subsequently charged with one count of sexual assault of a child, three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, one count of possessing prohibited images and one count of possessing extreme images.

After pleading guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court on January 8, he returned to the same court on February 28 where he was sentenced to nine years in prison with an extended sentence of five years on licence.

Detective Inspector Matt Haworth said: “I am really pleased with this sentence which reflects how seriously Northamptonshire Police take these offences.

“Hussan thought that by acting online he was afforded anonymity from his offences however through the diligent investigation of the lead investigator and one of our dedicated intelligence officers, his offending was identified and he has been brought to justice.

“The Online Child Abuse Investigation Unit is here to tackle the sexual abuse of children and those who use the internet to abuse the most vulnerable.

“Our message remains simple: if you offend against children in our county, we will arrest you and put you before the courts.”

If you have been a victim of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, please come forward by calling 101 or via the online reporting tool at www.northants.police.uk.

We will believe you.

If you have been a victim of rape or sexual abuse, but are not yet ready to speak to the police, please visit www.nhft.nhs.uk/serenity or call Serenity on 01604 601713.

Serenity provides free, confidential 24/7 support.

You can also visit www.voicenorthants.org or call Voice on 0300 303 1965.

Voice is a support service for anyone living in Northamptonshire, regardless of when, where or how crime happened to you. Services are free, confidential and you don’t have to have reported anything to the police.

Source: Ofcom published on this website Monday 10 March 2025 by Jill Powell

User-to-user and search services must carry out an illegal content risk assessment. This is a legal obligation and requires service providers to assess the risks associated with priority offences and other illegal content on their services. Services must also make and keep a written record, in an easily understandable form, of all aspects of every illegal content risk assessment, including details about how the assessment was carried out and its findings.

On 16 December 2024, Ofcom published Risk Assessment Guidance and Risk Profiles to help service providers comply with the illegal content risk assessment duties. This guidance sets out a four-step risk assessment process, to help services comply with the illegal content risk assessment duties. We also published Record Keeping and Review Guidance to assist providers in meeting their record keeping and review duties.

In line with the illegal content risk assessment duties coming into force, we have decided to request records of the illegal content risk assessments from a number of providers of in-scope services. We will use the information services provide to identify possible compliance concerns, and to monitor how our illegal content risk assessment guidance and record keeping guidance are applied by industry.

We expect this programme to run for at least 12 months, during which time we may decide to open separate formal investigations if we have concerns that a service provider may not be meeting its duties under the Act. We will publish updates on progress at relevant points over this period.

Source: National Trading Standards published on this website Thursday 6 March 2025 by Jill Powell

Former Brookside actor Philip Foster and eight associates have today (28 February 2025) been sentenced for their part in a £13.6 million fraud that ran for over eight years.

The sentences handed down at Sheffield Crown Court today are the result of an over 6-year investigation by National Trading Standards, whose work uncovered an extensive network of sham modelling agencies that cruelly exploited the dreams of aspiring young models and their parents.

Foster was the ringleader of the operation. He orchestrated the fraud from Spain, using a network of associates based in England who operated a string of sham modelling agencies and photography studios in cities across the country, including London, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, Coventry, and Nottingham.

More than 6,000 victims were deceived by the group – mainly young people and mothers – who ended up parting with substantial amounts of money under the false promise of securing paid modelling work.

The fraud worked by setting up a photographic studio in the area and running a social media advertising campaign. People who responded were given the false impression that a model agency was interested in them, with emails telling them they had potential. Victims were then invited to a ‘free’ test shoot at the photographic studio, which turned out to be a ruse to try to extort money out of them.

At the test shoot, victims were given a studio experience, handed glossy brochures and told how successful other people had been. They would then be told that they passed their studio test and that modelling agencies were interested, but they needed to purchase their portfolio photographs from the studio in order to join an agency and become an agency model.

Victims were duped by the group who, between them, gave a good impression of running successful model businesses and lied to them about their potential. Millions of pounds were taken from aspiring models, with some coerced into financing the upfront payment through credit deals arranged by the fraudsters or taking out expensive payday loans.

Instead, victims received poor quality digital photographs that stood no real chance of landing them professional jobs. Virtually none of the victims received any paid modelling work.

The sham agencies were often dissolved after short periods, rebranded repeatedly to avoid detection, and paid no tax. Money from the scam was laundered through UK bank accounts before being transferred to Spain or carried in cash on commercial flights by co-conspirators.

The investigation traced substantial sums to Foster, who lived in luxury abroad and purchased high-end watches and cars with the proceeds of the fraud. The investigation heard how many victims, left financially and emotionally devastated, described feeling humiliated and betrayed. Some experienced lasting distress that affected their confidence, wellbeing and their ability to trust others.

The sentences, which were handed down today in the absence of Philip Foster, who is currently living in Spain, are as follows:

Philip Foster, aged 49, Edificio Marina Mariola, Marbella, Spain, sentenced to 8.5 years for conspiracies to defraud

Michael Foster, aged 27, Snowdon Lane, Liverpool, sentenced to 3.5 years for conspiracy to defraud

Paul Evans, aged 39, no known address, sentenced to 3.5 years for offences related to money laundering

Jamie Peters, aged 52, Pentland Place, Warrington, sentenced to 24 months, suspended for 2 years, for conspiracy to defraud

Lisa Foster, aged 42, Manchester Road, Astley, sentenced to 18 months, suspended for 12 months, for conspiracy to defraud

Emily Newall, aged 29, Bolton Road, Kearsley, Greater Manchester, sentenced to 10 months, suspended for 12 months, for conspiracy to defraud

Atif Qadar, aged 44, Larkswood Drive, Crowthorne, sentenced to 12 months, suspended for 12 months, for conspiracy to defraud

Paul Fleury, aged 57, Manchester Road, Swinton, Manchester, sentenced to 18 months, suspended for 12 months, for conspiracy to defraud

Aslihan Foster aged 39, Tredington Road, Coventry, sentenced to 18 months, suspended for 12 months, for an offence related to money laundering

Today’s sentencing follows over 6 years of investigative work by the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, hosted by North Yorkshire Council and City of York Council, including forensic analysis of financial transactions, thousands of consumer complaints, and witness testimony from victims. The team was supported by the National Trading Standards South West Regional Investigations Team, hosted by Bristol City Council.