In a heartbreaking case that has sent shockwaves through London’s social services, a coroner’s inquest has determined that the tragic drowning death of a two-year-old girl was the direct result of “gross failures” by council social workers. The devastating findings expose a system in crisis, with vulnerable children falling through the cracks and paying the ultimate price.
A Mother’s Desperate Plea for Help
The victim, Mazeedat Adeoye, was just two years old when her life was cut short in January 2022. Her mother, Balikis Adeoye, had come to the UK on a visitor visa with her daughter in early 2021, seeking to join her partner. However, the relationship broke down, leaving Adeoye and her children stranded with no means to return home and ineligible for public funds due to their immigration status.
Tragedy struck when Adeoye’s infant son required urgent heart surgery. Desperate for help, she turned to Newham council social workers, pleading for temporary foster care for Mazeedat during the 10-day hospital stay. In a decision that would prove fatal, the social work team denied the request, instead callously instructing Adeoye to find someone “in her community” to watch her daughter.
A Preventable Tragedy
With no other options, Adeoye entrusted Mazeedat to an acquaintance from a local mosque. It was during this time, while playing unsupervised in the caregiver’s garden, that the unthinkable occurred. Mazeedat fell headfirst into a refuse bin containing a mere 9cm of water and drowned, her tiny body discovered too late to save her.
This is the first known case of a child death linked to the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ immigration policy in the UK.
– Legal experts familiar with the case
Scathing Inquest Findings
During the inquest, senior coroner Graeme Irvine delivered a blistering assessment of the council’s actions. He concluded that social workers had missed a clear opportunity to provide critical care that “would have probably resulted in the avoidance of Mazeedat’s death.” Irvine went further, accusing the council team of being “obdurate and stubborn” and fostering a “culture of impunity.”
Evidence presented at the inquest painted a shocking picture of the dismissive treatment Adeoye received from social workers. The team had baselessly accused her of being misleading about her circumstances and even questioned whether she was Mazeedat’s real mother. In a damning indictment, Irvine stated that “Balikis Adeoye was treated in a dehumanising way on account of her status in the UK.”
Demands for Systemic Change
This devastating case has reignited calls for an urgent overhaul of the UK’s social services and immigration policies. Critics argue that the ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ rule, which denies support to those with insecure immigration status, is putting lives at risk and disproportionately impacting vulnerable women and children.
Every child deserves to live. I hope that this will protect other children.
– Balikis Adeoye, mother of Mazeedat
Mazeedat’s avoidable death has become a rallying cry for reform, with activists demanding immediate action to prevent more tragedies. As the inquest laid bare, the consequences of a broken system are all too real, measured in the lost lives of innocent children failed by those meant to protect them.
In the wake of the coroner’s findings, Newham council has vowed to carefully consider the recommendations and overhaul its practices. But for Mazeedat and her grieving mother, these promises come far too late. The question remains: how many more children must slip through the cracks before real change is achieved?
