Child Zeta - a call for safeguarding reform

Sam Preston 5 min read

child protection safeguarding children knife crime adverse childhood experiences trauma informed practice multi agency vulnerable children

The tragic death of 17-year-old ‘Child Zeta’ in Brighton in 2023 reveals the devastating consequences of systemic failure in responding to child criminal exploitation.

A bright, emotionally intelligent young man from a refugee background, Zeta was groomed into drug dealing at 13, becoming entrapped in a world of violence, coercion, and debt bondage. Despite over 200 recorded police concerns and repeated pleas from his family, safeguarding systems were ultimately unable to protect him.

Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review

The ‘Child Zeta’ Local Child Safeguarding Practice Review (LCSPR) offers critical insight for all professionals involved in safeguarding children and young people. The case lays bare the urgent need for earlier, coordinated, trauma-informed responses and highlights how fear, marginalisation, and structural inequality intersect to place children at risk.

Child Zeta

‘Child Zeta’ was the second of four siblings in a Muslim refugee family. His early life was marked by trauma: fleeing conflict in 2009 at age three, adjusting to a new country, and living in overcrowded housing. His mother, a doctor in her home country, was unable to practise in the UK, leaving the family reliant on benefits. As a teenager, Zeta was described as charismatic and emotionally intelligent. However, he presented differently to professionals, witty and warm with some, hostile and defensive with others.

Drug use and Dealing

By the age of 13, he was using cannabis, and he was targeted by exploiters who built trust through shared heritage and social activities. Over time, he was drawn deeper into drug dealing, including Class A drug distribution and was subjected to increasing violence, surveillance, and coercion.

Zeta’s vulnerabilities

Zeta’s vulnerabilities, financial pressure, overcrowding, guilt over cultural expectations, and early trauma, were used to manipulate him. His family repeatedly sought help, asking agencies to relocate him to safety, but the often delayed responses were fragmented.

In 2023, Zeta appeared to be turning a corner, engaging in education, attending therapy, and rebuilding family ties. But the risks remained. He was stabbed to death in Brighton shortly after attending court, still entangled in unresolved drug debt.

Child Zeta key learning outcomes

The ‘Child Zeta’ case review has led to key learning outcomes, which include:

Knife-Carrying and Safeguarding

Knife possession must be treated as a safeguarding issue. While professionals were aware that ‘Child Zeta’ carried a knife from early 2022, the reasons for this behaviour, fear, threats, and need for protection, were not sufficiently explored or addressed in planning.

Recommendation: Where agencies are aware that a child is carrying a knife, this must be clearly stated in assessments and plans. Plans should explain why the knife is carried and what measures are in place to reduce the perceived need. This must be reviewed regularly and include consideration of non-statutory support to help children exit exploitation.
Disruption, Drug Debt and the Criminal Justice System

Disruption strategies such as arrests and stop-and-search increased ‘Child Zeta’s exposure to debt bondage, as exploiters punished him for lost drugs. Encrypted communication and a lack of intelligence-sharing meant exploiters higher in the chain were not identified. Despite a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) referral and a positive decision, court proceedings continued without proper safeguarding consideration.

Recommendation: The Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the Solicitors Regulation Authority should jointly consider issuing guidance for criminal lawyers on what to do when they become aware of safeguarding concerns involving child clients.
Out-of-Area Placements and Information Sharing

‘Child Zeta’s out-of-area placement was secured quickly and involved him in decision-making. However, contact with exploiters continued through social media and in-person visits. Differing interpretations of risk between authorities resulted in inconsistent safeguarding responses.

Recommendation: When children are placed out of area, agencies in both locations must ensure child-centred assessments of risk, including shared understanding of thresholds and how risk is addressed in each plan.
Role of Social Media

Social media played a key role in ‘Child Zeta’s ongoing exploitation, yet was not routinely included in risk assessments or safeguarding plans.

Recommendation: Professionals working with children suspected or known to be exploited must talk to the young person about social media use and include findings in all assessments and safety planning.
Cultural Competency and Anti-Racist Practice

‘Child Zeta’s case raises questions about how cultural background, racial identity, and refugee trauma intersect with safeguarding. Though Brighton & Hove has made progress through anti-racist strategies and reflective practice, the review highlights the need for continued development in cultural competence and unconscious bias.

Recommendation: Brighton & Hove City Council should facilitate regular reflective spaces for practitioners to explore lived experiences related to race, culture, and religion. These must foster psychological safety, challenge biases, and incorporate the findings of the National Panel report “It’s Silent”: Race, Racism and Safeguarding Children.
Legal Safeguarding and Youth Court Settings

‘Child Zeta’ attended court in Brighton, an area known to his exploiters, without protective measures. His Conclusive Grounds NRM decision (meaning authorities officially recognised him as a victim of modern slavery and exploitation) was not taken into account in managing court processes, and his family were not informed due to his request for privacy. The legal system lacked trauma-informed processes and safeguards.

Recommendation: The Surrey & Sussex Criminal Justice Partnership Board should review best practices for listing exploited children in court to prioritise safety. A national CSPR recommendation is also required to guide judicial practice in such cases.

‘Child Zeta’s life was marked by resilience, potential, and tragedy. Despite his own efforts and those of committed professionals, he was ultimately failed by a system unable to act quickly or cohesively enough to counter the complex nature of criminal exploitation.

This case shows that whilst there are national issues requiring reform, there is also immediate local agency reform needed, such as stronger multi-agency collaboration, earlier intervention, and a deeper commitment to understanding the lived experiences of marginalised young people.

What is clear is that ‘Child Zeta’ wanted to and tried to make positive changes however, multi-agency practice failed to support this and keep him safe. The learning from this case review must drive meaningful, lasting reform.