Social Work England

Other public bodies · Executive non-departmental public body

Request correction

First report 5 Dec 2024•Latest report 5 Dec 2024

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Reports naming this recipient by issue year.

* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.

Reports: 1
Published responses: 100%
Concerns addressed: 1
Stated actions: 5

Concerns and recipient responses

Statements from Social Work England linked to the concerns in each report. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.

5 Dec2024
East London
Concerns raised8
1. Inadequate supervision of social workers
2. Failure to properly record the rationale for critical NRPF decisions
3. Failure to communicate observed heat signatures during searches
1. Culture tolerating unprofessional and antagonistic behaviour towards vulnerable people
2. Failure to oversee arbitrary decisions made by junior staff
3. Failure to periodically review social workers’ caseloads
4. Failure to constrain inappropriate behaviour within the NRPF team
5. Failure to appropriately assess heat signatures during searches
Actions described in response 4
1. Action
  Open fitness-to-practise cases for the identified social workers to enable further enquiries.
2. Action
  Determine whether reasonable grounds exist to investigate the individual social workers’ actions once all relevant information has been obtained.
3. Action
  Obtain and assess information from the local authority about involved social workers and any related employer investigations.
1. Action
  Review coronial documentation and recordings while identifying whether further information or documentation is needed.
AI-generated summary

Mazeedat Adeoye · Prevention of Future Deaths report

This summary was generated using AI from the published report. Please read the original report for the complete account.

Report summary

Mazeedat Adeoye, a two-year-old girl, drowned on 29 January 2022 after falling into a water-filled plastic refuse bin while playing alone and inadequately supervised in a volunteer carer’s garden. The report identifies concerns about failures by local authority child services to arrange appropriate temporary care, as well as concerns regarding police search procedures, social-worker conduct and supervision, and inadequate record-keeping.

Read the report on judiciary.uk
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Inadequate supervision of social workers
Wider context from the report
“3. The NRPF team was poorly managed. Social workers were not adequately supervised, and their caseloads were not periodically reviewed. The absence of leadership allowed a gradual erosion of empathy for the very people the team were employed to support. The absence of proper management left inappropriate behaviour unconstrained and allowed irrational decisions made arbitrarily by junior staff, to stand unchecked. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to properly record the rationale for critical NRPF decisions
Wider context from the report
“4. Inadequate standards of note-keeping meant that the rationale for critical decisions made by the NRPF were not properly recorded. The absence of clear records diminished both communication within the team and accountability. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to communicate observed heat signatures during searches
Wider context from the report
“1. NPAS helicopter resources were utilised in the search for Mazeedat on 29th January 2022. At 16.40, a small circular heat signature was observed by a tactical flight officer within the garden where Mazeedat’s body was ultimately located. The shape and size of the object meant that the object was “discounted” in the search and its presence was not communicated to anyone. Mazeedat was discovered 11 minutes later by a police dog unit on the ground. Whereas the delay in locating Mazeedat did not contribute to her tragic death, the decision to discount such a heat signature could, in another case, amount to a risk of fatal harm. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Culture tolerating unprofessional and antagonistic behaviour towards vulnerable people
Wider context from the report
“2. The Adeoye family interactions with the local authority, child services team were characterised by unprofessional behaviour from social workers. A culture existed within the team that tolerated and therefore encouraged overtly antagonistic behaviour towards vulnerable people. Should this hostile environment continue to be enabled, sub-optimal care outcomes will result with an ongoing risk of fatal harm. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to oversee arbitrary decisions made by junior staff
Wider context from the report
“3. The NRPF team was poorly managed. Social workers were not adequately supervised, and their caseloads were not periodically reviewed. The absence of leadership allowed a gradual erosion of empathy for the very people the team were employed to support. The absence of proper management left inappropriate behaviour unconstrained and allowed irrational decisions made arbitrarily by junior staff, to stand unchecked. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to periodically review social workers’ caseloads
Wider context from the report
“3. The NRPF team was poorly managed. Social workers were not adequately supervised, and their caseloads were not periodically reviewed. The absence of leadership allowed a gradual erosion of empathy for the very people the team were employed to support. The absence of proper management left inappropriate behaviour unconstrained and allowed irrational decisions made arbitrarily by junior staff, to stand unchecked. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to constrain inappropriate behaviour within the NRPF team
Wider context from the report
“3. The NRPF team was poorly managed. Social workers were not adequately supervised, and their caseloads were not periodically reviewed. The absence of leadership allowed a gradual erosion of empathy for the very people the team were employed to support. The absence of proper management left inappropriate behaviour unconstrained and allowed irrational decisions made arbitrarily by junior staff, to stand unchecked. ”
Open source report
Source evidence
How this individual concern was interpreted
PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the report wording shown below. The report was sent to Social Work England; that does not assign responsibility.
PFD Monitor interpretation
Failure to appropriately assess heat signatures during searches
Wider context from the report
“1. NPAS helicopter resources were utilised in the search for Mazeedat on 29th January 2022. At 16.40, a small circular heat signature was observed by a tactical flight officer within the garden where Mazeedat’s body was ultimately located. The shape and size of the object meant that the object was “discounted” in the search and its presence was not communicated to anyone. Mazeedat was discovered 11 minutes later by a police dog unit on the ground. Whereas the delay in locating Mazeedat did not contribute to her tragic death, the decision to discount such a heat signature could, in another case, amount to a risk of fatal harm. ”
Open source report
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Open fitness-to-practise cases for the identified social workers to enable further enquiries.

Verbatim wording from the response
“2) We have opened fitness to practise cases with respect to the following social workers, ████████ and ████████ so that further enquiries can be made. The social workers, in line with our current policies, will not be advised of the cases unless the triage test has been met and we have determined that an investigation must be undertaken.”

Source location
Response from Social Work England
Page 2 · response
Published 6 December 2024
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Determine whether reasonable grounds exist to investigate the individual social workers’ actions once all relevant information has been obtained.

Verbatim wording from the response
“3) Once we are satisfied we have all the relevant information we require to make a triage decision, we will then determine whether there are reasonable grounds to investigate any of the individual social worker’s actions.”

Source location
Response from Social Work England
Page 2 · response
Published 6 December 2024
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Obtain and assess information from the local authority about involved social workers and any related employer investigations.

Verbatim wording from the response
“1) We have contacted the London Borough of Newham to ask for the details of the social workers that were involved in the case and whether there are any ongoing employer investigations with respect to those social workers regarding their involvement with this case. The London Borough of Newham has responded to us and provided us with relevant information.”

Source location
Response from Social Work England
Page 2 · response
Published 6 December 2024
Open published response
Source evidence

How this respondent action was interpreted

PFD Monitor created a concise, searchable interpretation from the published response wording shown below.

PFD Monitor interpretation
Review coronial documentation and recordings while identifying whether further information or documentation is needed.

Verbatim wording from the response
“3) We have started reviewing the documentation and recordings from the coronial inquest. We are in the process of identifying if further information/documentation may be required from the Local Authority and others. We may also return to you for further information.”

Source location
Response from Social Work England
Page 2 · response
Published 6 December 2024
Open published response

Information checked against published PFD reports and official responses · Data reviewed 7 Sep 2026 · About data quality and limitations

Data last updated 7 September 2026

Reports, concerns and published responses

Reports over time

Concerns raised8

Inadequate supervision of social workers

Failure to properly record the rationale for critical NRPF decisions

Failure to communicate observed heat signatures during searches

Culture tolerating unprofessional and antagonistic behaviour towards vulnerable people

Failure to oversee arbitrary decisions made by junior staff

Failure to periodically review social workers’ caseloads

Failure to constrain inappropriate behaviour within the NRPF team

Failure to appropriately assess heat signatures during searches

Actions described in response An action is something this recipient says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4

Actions described in response 4