The family of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, the six-year-old boy murdered by his stepmother after months of torture and abuse, have called for “total reform of social services”, warning that more children will die without significant change. Arthur’s cousin, Bernie Dixon, expressed disappointment at the scale of intervention since his death, noting that a national review found failures in local child protection reflected wider shortcomings.
Dixon, who is setting up a charity called Arthur’s Angels in his name, said the family have been frustrated by reports of other children dying from abuse, including Star Hobson, Kyrell Matthews and Logan Mwangi. “It feels like everyone wants to talk about it, but nobody wants to do any action or make any significant change,” she said.
The family are campaigning for unannounced visits in cases involving children under 10, after it emerged that Arthur’s stepmother, Emma Tustin, coached him before a planned visit by Solihull social services two months before his death. They also want social workers to wear body cameras, a measure supported by the chief executive of Solihull council.
Tustin was sentenced to life with a minimum of 29 years for murder, while Arthur’s father, Thomas Hughes, received 24 years for manslaughter. Dixon said she does not directly blame social workers but believes better training and resources could have saved Arthur. “It’s about trying to catch the ones who just keep slipping through,” she added.
