Report finds catalogue of missed opportunities to save murdered Alfie Steele
The nine year old was drowned in the bath at his home in February 2021.
Last updated 26th Jan 2024
A review into the death of a nine year old boy in Droitwich has found a catalogue of missed opportunities by professionals to save him.
Today (Friday 26 January), the Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership have released a Child Safeguarding Practice Review following the murder of Alfie Steele in 2021.
He died after suffering months of horrifying physical and emotional abuse at the hands of his mother, Carla Scott and her partner Dirk Howell.
They are both serving significant prison sentences after being convicted in June 2023.
The safeguarding report said the family were in contact with professionals from a number of agencies "over an extended period of time".
It noted Alfie was under a child protection plan but there was "little evidence it was being complied with".
It added professionals "were often hampered by two adults who sought to deliberately lie, mislead and cover up what was happening to this little boy".
The multi-agency review highlighted learning points, practice considerations and recommendations for a number of agencies, including West Mercia Police.
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Jones said: “We continue to extend our deepest condolences to those who knew Alfie, who will forever miss his warm infectious smile and sense of humour. The loss his family has experienced is immeasurable.
“Alfie’s family and you, our local communities, deserve to have faith that authorities, including police, will do everything in their power to keep children safe and stop those intent on causing harm and suffering. This is why it is important that you understand the partnership’s actions prior to Alfie’s murder, and the measures put in place to ensure children are listened to and kept safe.
“In the immediate aftermath of Alfie’s murder, we carried out an initial review of West Mercia Police’s involvement with the family.
"As a direct result, enhanced training has been put in place for our front-line officers and staff to ensure they fully understand the signs of vulnerability, that they are professionally curious and don’t take information on face value. We’ve also worked to ensure that our officers and staff are aware of and consider alternative measures available to us alongside criminal proceedings, such as civil orders.
“After Alfie’s case had been heard in court, we made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to ensure independent assessment of our contact with the family. This investigation remains ongoing, but we have committed that the findings will be shared with you as soon as they can.
“We fully support the recommendations of the review and are absolutely committed to working within the partnership to continually develop and improve safeguarding measures for vulnerable children and young people.
“It is with the greatest sadness that we will never be able to undo the dreadful abuse Alfie suffered. Our thoughts remain with all those who knew and loved Alfie.”
Independent Chair of Worcestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership, Stephen Eccleston, said: “On behalf of the Partnership, I would like to express our heartfelt condolences to all those who knew Alfie and thank the family for their involvement in this review.
Professionals from a number of agencies were involved with Alfie over an extended period of time. This report reflects the amount of contact professionals were having with Alfie, his carers and the local community, and has identified those occasions where practice should have been stronger. We are therefore grateful to the independent reviewer for their objective and clear report. The review also found that professionals involved with Alfie were hard working, showed care and commitment to Alfie and the family, but were often hampered by two adults who sought to deliberately lie, mislead, and cover up what was happening to this little boy.
Whilst the investigation and trial were ongoing, the immediate learning from both this case and other child safeguarding practice reviews has resulted in a change of safeguarding practices and activities. We are determined, both as a partnership and as individual agencies, to ensure the recommendations in this report are also now used to make a real difference to the safety of children and young people."