Murder of Wellington teenager Georgia Williams was 'preventable' say parents
The death of Georgia Williams, the Wellington teenager who was murdered in 2013, could have been prevented were it not for failings by the Police and Social Services.
A Discretionary Serious Case Review, published today, has highlighted a number of areas where more should have been done to prevent her murder by Jamie Reynolds.
Reynolds, from Wellington, had been known to some agencies following an earlier offence in 2008 when he was 17 years-old.
Speaking about the Discretionary Serious Case Review Steve and Lynnette Williams, Georgia's parents, said:
"We appreciate West Mercia Police initiating this report having recognised that the 2008 investigation was inadequate to say the least.
"However, considering that multi-agency resolutions are considered a way of achieving best results this report shows how this approach can be disastrous.
"Having lost Georgia to pure evil we cried when we read this report and the failings of all agencies involved because it was so obvious that Reynolds was, if not one already, a murderer in the making.
"Georgia's death could have been prevented - learn if nothing else."
Chief Constable of West Mercia Police, David Shaw, said:
"We cannot even begin to adequately express or truly understand the immense loss felt by Georgia's family and friends following her murder and our thoughts have remained with them throughout this review process.
"When we first identified shortcomings in the management of Jamie Reynolds a heartfelt apology was made to Georgia's parents.
"We have been listening to and working with Mr and Mrs Williams to implement the recommendations laid out in the review and will continue to keep them involved in the actions taken.
"What we have done via this review is identified where as agencies we failed, admitted to those failings and begun working better together to help ensure every possible measure is put in place to try to prevent such a tragedy happening in the future.
"A considerable amount has changed in practices and procedures since 2008 but there is still more to do. Through this review we have identified training that needs to be done and changes that need to be made. Action has already been, and will continue to be, taken to fully implement these recommendations.
"We are working to ensure our workforce has the tools and support they need to properly assess risk, to make sure no stone is left unturned and that everything feasible is done to protect people from harm."
Laura Johnston, Director for Children and Family Services at Telford & Wrekin Council, said:
"We were all devastated by Georgia's death and I would like to offer our heartfelt condolences to Georgia's family and friends for the terrible loss they have suffered.
"I fully agree with all the sentiments expressed by the Chief Constable. I have been open with Mr and Mrs Williams that neither the council's practice or the Youth Offending Service's practice was good enough in 2008. At that time, we should have been better at making sure that the risks to all the young people affected were considered. Significant changes have been made to our practice since then.
"Georgia's death has made a huge impact in Telford and we never want to forget that. Our staff come to work wanting to do a good job, and my job is to make sure that they have the right training and support to do that. We are determined to reduce the risk of anything like this happening again in Telford. I am very pleased that Mr and Mrs Williams have been supporting us in that."
A number of working practises have been improved within and across agencies in the Telford area following the murder of Georgia Williams in 2013.
Some of the changes made so far and the key actions taken so far include:
A multi agency audit of incidents where children have harmed other children has been completed. The findings were reviewed and points of learning have since been incorporated into training to improve practice. This process now forms part of the multi agency case file audit plan of the Local Safeguarding Children's Board (LSCB).
Georgia's parents were welcomed as key note speakers at a workshop for representatives from all agencies in July, 2015, to emphasise the importance of professional curiosity. This will be supported by a LSCB development day in January 2016.
Telford Children's Social Care was selected as a pilot for research and practice for the NSPCC Children Harming Children National Framework, this forms part of their continuous improvement.
An enhanced version of the College of Policing training for officers becoming detectives has been implemented across West Mercia Police, launching in June 2015. This includes learning from all serious case reviews and emphasises the importance of professional curiosity. To ensure the learning is embedded and has an impact on working practices the University of Worcester is carrying out an evaluation project. Approximately 70 officers will complete this course each year.
In 2014 a Harm Assessment Unit was created within the West Mercia Police area to ensure a consistent approach to how individuals are referred to other agencies.
