However, domestic abuse was the running sore throughout all three court cases. Allegations of Urfan Sharif's abuse towards not just Olga + the children (the latter a big red flag) but also towards other women - and in some cases, extreme alleged abuse, including threats to kill.

Some of the reported violence was No Further Actioned by police after the women did not pursue charges. Urfan denied other reports, or explained it away as an accident or a game, and Olga repeatedly withdrew her allegations.

At the end of the 2nd care case, Olga fled to a refuge with Sara and her older sibling. Ultimately, with Urfan's agreement, an order was made saying that the children were to live with her. The risk was seen to be sufficiently mitigated as to not justify a 'factfinding' on the DA

It would not have been seen by the family court judge as necessary or proportionate in the circumstances to expend court time and resources on deciding on facts which, if found, would have resulted in the same outcome as that which had been agreed between the parents.

But that in turn meant that in a binary system, no abuse had happened. And this meant that when the family was back in court again, because Sara had made allegations she was being mistreated by her mother, Olga was seen as the risk, not Urfan Sharif.

This all poses some difficult questions: do we remove children from their parents sooner, on the basis of allegations, ie with less concrete evidence of risk? We'd be removing tens of thousands. And taking a child into care is not a neutral act. Outcomes are often poor.

It would be a huge intrusion into family life to do such a thing. Do we run factfindings - trials of the allegations - in a family court when an alleged victim has withdrawn complaints? Even if seen as necessary, practically, how would that work if they did not give evidence?

Family judges are not omnipotent. They can only exercise the powers they have in law. From a close examination of the dynamics, evidence and Urfan and Olga Sharif's actions in these cases, as well as the social work and expert decisionmaking, it is hard to see a different result

A family judge found to have abused their adopted children applied to the high court for anonymity - and has been granted it, despite the media arguing to name them. My The Observer comment piece on a scandal; first, the child abuse, then the cover up: observer.co.uk/news/national/…

Ed Nixon Career Matters NHS England The team have worked so hard! Helen and Linda are committed to improving job & health outcomes! The young people have been incredible to work with! So much potential! We need more allies across systems to improve outcomes!

For so long, many children care experienced + those in the penal system. These young people had Ofsted come to them to listen. Credit to all including the catalyst that is Career Matters who made this possible. Kudos to Ofsted for coming - now wait for outcome #ECLCM

Want to have your say on #CouncilTax and support for care leavers? Did you know that if a young person settles outside their original local authority where they were in care that they may be refused exemption of council tax? Have your say 👇

Really? I think you need to read it again.

Hannah Kirkbride Yet another inequality for care leavers to face. Almost certainly it was their LA who decided where they should live, so why then punish them for living there #ECLCM @rescareto21

Ed Nixon ECLCM Hannah Kirkbride Support for care leavers shouldn’t stop at local authority lines. Housing, financial help, and wider support must follow the young person, not stay tied to where they were in care. Mobility shouldn’t mean losing your safety net.

Ruth Diver ECLCM Hannah Kirkbride Entirely agree ECLCM #ECLCM

That’s great to hear. You should get one of your team to call Hannah Kirkbride. She actually does place young people disadvantaged by their #careexperience into jobs and education Career Matters

ECLCM The more people we can engage around this critically important and potentially 'game changing' legislation, the better!

"A family has lost two brothers in one tragic incident. Not one footballer but two brothers, two sons." "A pair full of vitality, full of celebratory spirit after Diogo's wedding last week, and now just gone, lost in a moment." Neil Atkinson ✍️👇mailchi.mp/theanfieldwrap…

Ashley John-Baptiste CINLACNEET The New Statesman Looks like he’s sympathetic- maybe he’ll support #ECLCM attempts to offer ECLCM