Child Services boss in charge of Star Hobson's care quit his six figure job five days before her killers went on trial

Child Services boss in charge of Star Hobson's care quit his six figure job five days before her killers went on trial
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Luke Ridley

By Luke Ridley


Published: 14/12/2021

- 16:05

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 11:52

Mark Douglas quit his £121,000-a-year job just days before Frankie Smith and Savannah Brockhill went on trial for Star Hobson's murder.

Mark Douglas was the Children's Services boss in charge of Star Hobson's care. He quit his £121,000-a-year job just days before Frankie Smith and Savannah Brockhill went on trial for Star's murder.

Mark Douglas is the third Director of Children's Services in Bradford Council to quit within in a three-year period.


16-month-old Star Hobson who died from \%22utterly catastrophic\%22 injuries at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire
16-month-old Star Hobson who died from "utterly catastrophic" injuries at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire Police

The department was shaken by an Ofsted report in 2018 which branded it 'inadequate' and said some children under its care were 'at risk of serious harm.'

On his arrival in May 2019, Mr Douglas vowed to 'develop good and outstanding services for the city and district.'

The former social worker suddenly quit on October 15, just before the trial at Bradford Crown Court began.

He said: 'I am extremely proud of the improvements that we have made in children's services over the past two and a half years and I am confident that all services will continue on their journey of improvement so that the children and young people of Bradford receive good and outstanding provision.'

His resignation followed quickly after the government appointed a commissioner, Steve Walker from Leeds City Council, to carry out a probe into the 'slow pace of change' in the children's services department at Bradford.

The Ofsted report of October 2018 said services for children in the city have 'rapidly deteriorated' since an inspection in April 2017.

More kids were in crisis at the same time as the loss of a 'significant number of experienced social workers and managers, who left to work for other local authorities', said the report.

Because of the loss of staff the number of agency and short-term staff had increased significantly, it found.

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