Social worker ignored warnings before toddler’s murder

A social worker has admitted ignoring warnings that a two-year-old girl was being abused, a week before the toddler was murdered by her mother’s partner.

Sanam Navsarka, of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, died on 8 May 2008 after suffering more than 100 injuries.

Judyth Kenworthy, a former family placement officer at Kirklees Council, admitted failing to pass on warnings she had received from a carer in 2008.

She is accused of misconduct by the General Social Care Council (GSCC).
Hand prints

Sanam died after being beaten over four weeks and was found with fractures to all her limbs. A metal pole was used to shatter one of her legs.

Hand prints and blood stains were found inside cupboards, where she had been put as a punishment.

Her mother Zahbeena Navsarka, 21, was jailed for nine years for manslaughter. Her mother’s partner Subhan Anwar, 21, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 23 years for her murder.

Mrs Kenworthy admitted failing to inform her manager, a social worker or Kirklees Council’s duty and assessment team that Sanam was being physically abused.

She also agreed that, as a result of her actions, no measures were taken to safeguard Sanam and admitted withholding information when she gave a statement to police.

But Mrs Kenworthy denies the allegation that the carer warned her that Sanam had been locked in a cupboard.

Jacqueline Peel, who ran a home for vulnerable people, gave evidence to the GSCC.

She said Sanam had been taken to the home by her aunt and had a bruise on her head which she had informed Mrs Kenworthy of.

She also said that Sanam had often been injured after being left with her sister’s partner, Anwar.

“Every day the sister left the little girl with this man, there were marks.”

Presenting officer Marios Lambis said: “With that rather startling and worrying information brought to her, the registrant Mrs Kenworthy simply told Mrs Peel that the aunt should talk to someone if she had concerns about the child.
‘Tittle-tattle’

“It could be said that Mrs Kenworthy was passing the buck.”

But he added: “The way in which this information was reported, coupled with Jacqueline Peel’s tendency to tittle-tattle, didn’t make Mrs Kenworthy feel that there was an immediate risk.”

Speaking to Mrs Peel, Mr Lambis asked: “Mrs Kenworthy suggested that you often passed information about others to her and the possible effect was she couldn’t take it seriously because you tittle-tattled about other people constantly to her.”

When asked if this was fair, Mrs Peel replied: “I don’t really know. I only told her about people in the home if something was happening that shouldn’t have been happening.”

In her statement to police, Mrs Peel said she had told Mrs Kenworthy that Sanam had been locked in a cupboard, but she told the hearing that she was now “not sure” if this was true.

Mr Lambis said it was “impossible to speculate” what may have happened if Mrs Kenworthy had reported these matters, and whether Sanam could have been saved.

“What is certain here, and can be seen, is by not doing her duties correctly, that child was denied of a tier of protection that she was entitled to, and so Kirklees Council and the police were denied information which may have protected the child.”

The hearing into Mrs Kenworthy’s conduct continues.