Sara's Law proposed to protect vulnerable children

Sara Sharif died after months of abuse in her family home

A law named in memory of Sara Sharif, the 10-year-old murdered by her father and stepmother, has been tabled in Parliament.

Will Forster, Liberal Democrat MP for Woking, Surrey, said an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill would regulate the help councils give to vulnerable children.

Sara was found dead in a bunkbed at the family home in Woking in August 2023, having suffered 71 recent injuries.

The Department for Education said planned legislation will increase communication between schools and social care departments.

Sara's father, Urfan Sharif, and stepmother Beinash Batool, were jailed for life with minimum terms of 40 years and 33 years respectively in December, after being found guilty of her murder.

Her uncle, Faisal Malik, was found guilty of causing or allowing her death and jailed for 16 years.

The new law is being proposed by Woking MP Will Forster

Mr Forster said there was currently an "unacceptable inequality" in how local authorities interpreted thresholds for an intervention under existing legislation.

He said children at risk in one area may receive early help if a family is in crisis while in another they are left without the support that could "save their life".

"Every child in this country has effectively been entered into a postcode lottery and we are gambling with their lives by not attempting to repair that flaw," he added.

Sharif, Batool and Malik were jailed over Sara's death

Mr Forster's clause seeks to reduce regional variations in the type, frequency and duration of support that children receive through child in need plans.

He said: "This new clause is about accountability, consistency and most importantly protection.

"We cannot continue to accept a system where a child's safety depends on geography and resource rather than need."

In a statement, the Department for Education said: "Protecting children from abuse and stopping vulnerable children falling through the cracks are at the heart of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which represents the single biggest piece of child protection legislation in a generation.

"Our existing guidance sets out how local bodies must develop evidence-based criteria for action, but through our Plan for Change we will go even further.

"Through the children not in school registers, a single unique identifier for every child and requirement for every council to have multi-agency child protection team, the landmark bill will introduce better protections for all children and better join up between children's social care, schools and other local services."

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