Don’t be fooled by deceitful parents, top child expert warns social workers

Professionals urged to be more sceptical and ready to remove at-risk children after death of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes

Social workers need to be more sceptical and decisive when confronted by manipulative and deceitful" parents, one of the UK's leading child protection experts has urged following the torture and killing of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes at the hands of his stepmother and father.

Martin Narey, a former head of children's charity Barnardo's and senior government adviser, said social services should view potentially abusive parents more critically" and not shy away from taking children into care.