Correspondence

Child Safeguarding: Education Secretary responds to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson writes to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel following their review into the issues raised by the death of baby Victoria Marten.

From:
Department for Education and The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP
Published
12 February 2026

Applies to England

Documents

Secretary of State for Education letter to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: 12 February 2026

PDF, 122 KB, 2 pages

Details

A letter from Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson to Sir David Holmes, Chair of the Child Safeguarding Review Panel, following their review ‘Protecting all vulnerable babies better: national review into the broader safeguarding issues raised by the death of baby Victoria Marten’.

The letter thanks the panel for their work and acknowledges the key issues raised including:

  • concealed pregnancy
  • non-engagement with services
  • domestic abuse
  • risks involving serious offenders
  • challenges when families move frequently

The government will consider the panel’s recommendations, and a full response will be published in the summer.

Updates to this page

Published 12 February 2026

Sign up for emails or print this page