Progress at council criticised over boy's death

A council criticised over the death of a six-year-old at the hands of his father and stepmother is showing further signs of improvement, inspectors say.

Ofsted returned to Solihull Council, which failed to adequately investigate signs of abuse against Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.

Its new monitoring report found better procedures were becoming "embedded", and said "social work practice has improved".

Emma Tustin was jailed for murder and Arthur's father Thomas Hughes for manslaughter over Arthur's death at their home in 2020.

Ofsted's last full inspection of the service, published in January 2023, found the department to be inadequate in all the areas inspectors looked at.

The latest report, however, found "more consistency in the experiences and progress of most children" who needed safeguarding and family support.

It also said that the appointment of a new director of children's services had led to greater stability in the department as it underwent change.

Improvements were still needed in the auditing of social work and some letters sent to families before legal action starts, the report said.

Emma Tustin and Thomas Hughes were jailed for murder and manslaughter respectively

The trial of Tustin and Hughes heard that after his death, 130 bruises were found on Arthur's body and that he had been subjected to salt poisoning, deprived of food and drink, and made to stand alone for hours on end.

He suffered a catastrophic brain injury while in the care of Tustin in June 2020, with his final days captured on CCTV installed in the living room where he was forced to sleep.

• Arthur Labinjo-Hughes: A life cut short by cruelty

• Minister escalates council action over Arthur

• Sentence increase for Arthur Labinjo-Hughes' father

The previous report had found that children in Solihull weren't getting the help they needed at the right time: "When there is a concern that a child is at risk of harm, the response is too slow."

It also said that interventions didn't always lead to improved outcomes for children.

Solihull Council has been asked for its response to the updated findings.