• Social workers allegedly visited children once and never returned
• Neighbours angrily question why school did not raise the alarm
  

An independent inquiry has been launched today into the death of a seven-year-old girl alleged to have starved to death at her home.

Birmingham City Council's Safeguarding Children Board, which considers every child death, met this morning to discuss Khyra Ishaq, who died in hospital on Saturday.

Following the multi-agency meeting, the board said: "Any child's death is a tragedy and our thoughts are with Khyra's family and friends at this difficult time.

"Following a meeting this morning the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board (BSCB) have now commenced a serious case review, an independent examination into the circumstances surrounding the death of Khyra."

Tragic: Khyra, 7, starved to death

As Home Secretary Jacqui Smith yesterday backed calls for a thorough investigation into how Khyra was allowed to die, as disturbing questions emerged over why social workers or child protection officers failed her.

Social workers failed to gain access to the home of the seven-year-old girl believed to have starved to death during their only visit  -  and did not try again.

An educational social worker had visited the family's terraced home in Birmingham within two weeks of Khyra's mother, Angela Gordon, removing her daughter and five other children from a local school, claiming they were being bullied.

But the visit was some eight weeks ago, and last night the family's MP, Khalid Mahmood, said the fact the social worker could not gain access to the house should have triggered further checks.

'I'm absolutely flabbergasted by the incompetence of the council,' he said. 'There has been a complete breakdown of protocols and structures that should be in place.'

Khyra is believed to have died of starvation in hospital after paramedics were called to a house in Leyton Road, Handsworth, and found her heart had stopped. Her three brothers and two sisters were on mattresses in a bedroom and are said to have been emaciated.

Gordon, 33, and her partner Junaid Abuhamza, 29, have been remanded in custody by magistrates until next Wednesday charged with neglect.

Mr Mahmood, a Labour MP, said: 'I believe the social worker was not allowed access to the house. To me, that should have set the alarm bells ringing.

'I believe that person (the social worker) went to the house, no one answered the door and then there was no repeat visit.

He added: 'It doesn't matter whether anyone was there or not.

Charged: Muslim convert Angela Gordon, 33, pictured in the same video, before the death of her daughter Khyra, seven

Tragic: Khyra, seen here in a family video. Her mother Angela Gordon, in the background, is serving food

‘There should have been a follow-up visit because no contact was made. This is precisely the reason why we need an inquiry as soon as possible to find out what the social and educational services' failings were. Clearly, they were significant failings.'

Birmingham City Council refused to comment on the specific allegations yesterday but said the city's Safeguarding Children Board would meet today to consider the case.

It added that an emergency protection order had been gained for the custody of Khyra's five siblings 'as soon as they were made aware of her death' and they had been placed in foster care.

The Home Secretary, on a visit to Birmingham, said she was shocked by the case and supported Mr Mahmood's inquiry call.

'What I think is important is that we look very carefully at the background to the case before coming to any immediate conclusions,'she said. 'It is a tragedy and I feel desperately sorry for those who knew the young girl.'

Officials at Grove School in Handsworth, where Khyra was a pupil, refused to comment yesterday, but one parent waiting at the gates for his child said Khyra and her siblings had experienced problems over wearing Muslim clothing.

The father said: 'The children didn't seem to like wearing the Muslim head wear. I think that's why the children started having problems at the school  -  they weren't happy being forced into the Muslim religion.

Starving: Khyra Ishaq, 7, was rescued by police from this terrace in Birmingham but died of starvation shortly afterwards

Rescue: The back of the house where the six children were found by police

Khyra's aunt Valerie Frances speaks to the press outside the house where her niece died

'I think the family converted to Islam about two years ago but the children should not have been forced to wear religious clothing at school. It is a multicultural school but has a high Muslim contingent.'

Last night, it was still unclear whether Khyra's father, Delroy Frances, who is said to have moved out of the family home two years ago, was aware of the tragedy.

Neighbours in Leyton Road believe the children were so hungry they took bread put out for the birds.

One neighbour, Harjinder Kumar, 33, said: 'Why was this not prevented ?

‘We should not have let this happen.' Gordon is said to have taken the children out of school and made arrangements for them to be taught at home in the family's red-brick housing association home where she had lived on benefits for more than a decade.

An educational social worker is then meant to make a visit to the home to ensure the standard of education is being maintained.

The social worker is not responsible for the children's welfare but follow-up visits are supposed to be carried out and the fact that no access was gained officially logged.

In addition, one of the key recommendations of the inquiry into the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie in 2000 was that other agencies should be informed if there is any concern about a child's welfare.