Review: Council Team Visited Wrong House a Day Before 10‑Year‑Old Sara Sharif Was Murdered — Missed Safeguarding Opportunities Identified

Warning: This article contains distressing details.

Independent review finds multiple failings by agencies

An independent child safeguarding practice review has concluded that council staff attempting a welfare visit for 10‑year‑old Sara Sharif went to the wrong address the day before she was murdered by her father and stepmother. The review found a string of missed opportunities across education, children's services, health and the police that failed to protect Sara from sustained abuse.

Key findings

• The seriousness of Urfan Sharif as a repeated perpetrator of domestic abuse was not sufficiently recognised by professionals.
• Bruising was first noticed in June 2022. In March 2023 school staff reported three facial bruises and a change in Sara's behaviour, but the referral—graded "amber"—did not prompt effective cross‑agency checks within 24 hours.
• Professionals did not properly investigate why Sara, from about age eight, began wearing a hijab; it was later understood she used it to hide injuries. A newly qualified occupational therapist reportedly avoided raising the issue for fear of causing offence.
• Neighbours said they were reluctant to report concerns because they feared being labelled racist, and the report found race was a barrier to reporting and to professional inquiry.
• After Sara was withdrawn from school and marked as home‑schooled, the council was given a new address. On 7 August 2023 the home‑education team visited the old address; staff realised the error back at the office but did not return. Sara was killed the following day.

"The system failed to keep her safe," the review states, adding that there were several points when different actions could and should have been taken.

Details of the abuse and legal outcome

A post‑mortem recorded dozens of injuries, including human bite marks, an iron burn and scalding consistent with hot water; the review said Sara had been hooded, burned and beaten over a sustained period. In December 2024, her father Urfan Sharif was sentenced to a minimum of 40 years and her stepmother Beinash Batool to a minimum of 33 years for murder. Sara's uncle, Faisal Malik, was later jailed for 16 years for causing or allowing her death.

Authors, responses and recommended changes

The review was written by former senior social worker Jane Wonnacott and ex‑homicide detective Dr Russell Wate and was commissioned by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership. It criticised an "overreliance" on the father's account, insufficient examination of existing records and a surprising lack of checks between children's services and the police.

Surrey County Council said it was "deeply sorry" and has taken "robust action" to address the findings. National and local leaders responded strongly: Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described the case as "an appalling tragedy" and called for urgent reform; Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza urged rapid change so that no child is left invisible; and Surrey Police pledged to work with partners to implement the recommendations.

The review calls for systemic changes including a clearer, better‑safeguarded home‑schooling system, stronger cross‑agency information‑sharing (especially between social services and police), improved professional willingness to explore culturally sensitive indicators of harm, and more timely, thorough responses to amber‑rated referrals.

Next steps: Local agencies have committed to implement every recommendation from the review. The report emphasises that Sara's legacy must be meaningful reforms to prevent other children becoming invisible to the services meant to protect them.