Children’s minister Josh MacAlister has sent in experts to review the work of key agencies involved in the care of Preston Davey before the 13-month-old’s murder by a man in the process of adopting him.

The independent experts are scrutinising the work of Oldham Council, in whose care Preston was during his short life, Adoption Now, the regional adoption agency responsible for his adoption, and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Preston was seen three times at Blackpool Victoria Hospital, which is run by the trust, in the weeks running up to his death, but this did not result in safeguarding or police action.

MacAlister’s intervention is in addition to the local child safeguarding practice review into Preston’s death, commissioned by Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership, and came as the government said it would “make sure anyone responsible for negligence” in relation to Preston’s case faced “consequences”.

Couple jailed for abuse and death of boy
The news follows last week’s conviction and sentencing of Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley for Preston’s death and the physical and Sєxual abuse they meted out to him during the four months he spent in their care.

Jamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley, who have been jailed for the death of Preston DaveyJamie Varley and John McGowan-Fazakerley, who have been jailed for the death of Preston Davey (credit: Lancashire Police)
Varley, who was convicted of murder plus several counts of abuse and cruelty, received a whole-life term – meaning he will never leave jail – while McGowan-Fazakerley, was found guilty of causing or allowing Preston’s death, as well as two counts of cruelty to a child and one of Sєxual ᴀssault. He has been sentenced to 25 years, of which he must serve two-thirds.

Government threatens ‘consequences’ for any negligence found
Following the sentencing, a government spokesperson said: “This is a sickening case of evil abusers exploiting a vulnerable child. The public rightly demand answers about what went wrong and we can ᴀssure them we will make sure anyone responsible for negligence faces consequences.”

Then, in an interview with the BBC, MacAlister said: “I have already asked some independent experts to go and look at Oldham, the hospital trust and the adoption agency to see whether things that we already know have been acted upon.”

He was then asked if anyone had or would lose their job over the case, to which the minister responded: “Accountability is really important. We’ll pursue all the lines of inquiry that come out of the independent review.”

MacAlister referred to the fact that Varley was a teacher and questioned whether this meant some factors about him were overlooked, while he added that he had asked the Oldham review to look at whether “bias” to do with his professional background played any role in decision making.

Reforms to improve joint working in child protection
More broadly, the minister pointed to the potential for the government’s children’s social care reforms to improve practice, particularly information sharing, in child protection cases, citing:

The establishment of multi-agency child protection teams, involving social workers and health, police and education pracтιтioners.
A new duty on agencies and their pracтιтioners to share information to safeguard or promote the welfare of children in all but exceptional circumstances.
In its statement, the government said that the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, which oversees and shares learning from serious cases, would work with the Oldham partnership to “to get to the bottom of this horrifying case”.

Community Care understand that the panel is working with Oldham partnership in the normal way it does when a local area is producing a child safeguarding practice review. Following Preston’s murder, the panel sought ᴀssurance from agencies that health bodies, including Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, had taken immediate action to address safeguarding concerns relating to children making repeat emergency department presentations.

‘A failure of the safeguarding system’
Children’s Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza described Preston’s death as “a failure of the state and the safeguarding system”.

Rachel de Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, pictured smilingChildren’s Commissioner for England Rachel de Souza
“The state decided Preston couldn’t be kept safe by his birth family, took responsibility for securing him a safer future, and this child has been murdered,” she added.

“We know that in his short life Preston went to A&E multiple times, the police were called and a social worker visited. The judge said that professionals were reᴀssured by his killer’s profession and manner. I need to know whether we could have prevented Preston’s murder.”

Call to set up Child Protection Authority ‘without delay’
She urged the government to establish the Child Protection Authority (CPA) and the single unique identifier (SUI) for children “without delay”.

The CPA will be a new body tasked with overseeing the child protection system, ensuring learning is shared and holding bodies to account.

It will need to be set up by legislation, however, the DfE has asked the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel to expand its role in order to take on envisaged functions

The SUI, legislated for by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, will provide a unique identifier for each child and specified agencies will be required to use it in the information they use and share. The Department for Education is planning to introduce it in autumn 2028 following piloting.

Adoption bodies defend system
Preston’s case has also thrown up concerns about the integrity of the adoption system.

Both good practice body CoramBAAF and the Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies (CVAA) expressed their distress at what had happened to Preston and their condolences for his family, but expressed their support for current policies and procedures.

“All adopters rightly undergo thorough, detailed and comprehensive ᴀssessment,” said Jane Poore, adoption consultant at CoramBAAF.

“The adoption process is highly regulated in order to be able to provide some of our most vulnerable children a safe and loving family when they are unable to stay in the care of their birth family. Thousands of adopted families care for and love their children unconditionally, frequently through many tests and challenges.

“We must remember that these individuals, found guilty of horrific crimes, are no more representative of adopters than they are of human beings in general.”

‘Risks can be mitigated but not eradicated’
For the CVAA, chief executive Satwinder Sandhu said: “Legal systems and processes which are evidence based, and robust, operate in the adoption sector and courts to ensure as far as possible that children are being placed for adoption with people who are not only well prepared and thoroughly ᴀssessed, but also safe.

“No system is flawless though and we know that sadly dangerous and predatory people who seek access to vulnerable children can sometimes navigate even the best processes, checks and expertise. Social workers can seek to minimise risks through the adoption process, but they cannot eradicate them completely.”

He also referenced homophobic abuse and commentary posted online in response to the case, due to Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley being a same-Sєx couple.

‘No link between Sєxual orientation and risk’
According to national data, 20% of children adopted in 2023-24 were adopted by same-Sєx couples.

He said voluntary adoption agencies “reject in the strongest possible way any narratives that attempt to link this safeguarding tragedy to the Sєxuality of those involved. Individual cases, however serious and distressing, should not be used to make generalised ᴀssumptions about entire communities.”

Poore echoed this sentiment, adding: “We need to be aware that when particular idenтιтy characteristics (such as Sєxual orientation) are specifically emphasised, this can distract from the learning we must take from this tragic and distressing case. Individual cases do not represent entire communities and there is no evidence linking Sєxual orientation to safeguarding risk.”

She added that, once the local child safeguarding practice review had been published, CoramBAAF would publish guidance and “seek to support pracтιтioners to implement the findings”.