Sara Sharif: Social care boss whose team failed girl got pay rise after she was tortured to death

Social workers at Surrey County Council knew Sara was at risk in 2023 when her school flagged bruises on her face, but the case was closed after just six days

A social care boss whose team failed to protect Sara Sharif bagged a five per cent pay rise after the schoolgirl's tragic death.

Rachael Wardell netted £203,944 in the 2023/24 financial year for her role as Executive Director for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning at Surrey County Council – up from £195,160 in 2022/23. The reward comes despite social workers in her department missing vital opportunities to safeguard little Sara.

Staff knew the 10-year-old was at risk in March 2023 when her school flagged bruises on her face, but the case was closed after just six days. In April, Sara was pulled out of school and died at the family home in Woking, Surrey, four months later.

On top of her handsome salary, Wardell, 56, was recently appointed Vice Chair of the ADCS – a membership organisation for local authority social care professionals to share knowledge and expertise. And we previously revealed how the head honcho was made an OBE in the King's Birthday Honours list.

Although there is no suggestion Ms Wardell was directly responsible for Sara's death, she was in charge of children's care at the council during the relevant time. An independent safeguarding review is now underway to establish how Sara fell through the cracks.

Sara's father Urfan Sharif, 42 and stepmum Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty of murder this week following a trial at the Old Bailey. Surrey Police said Sara – who dreamed of becoming a singer – suffered "unspeakable violence" and "brutal abuse" at the hands of the pair. Her uncle Faisal Malik was found not guilty of murder but guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Specialist doctors and pathologists who examined Sara's body found some 100 separate internal and external injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, multiple broken bones as well as extensive bruising and scarring. Burns on her buttocks, inflicted using an iron, and human bite marks were also found.

A post-mortem found Sara died due to complications arising from these injuries and neglect. Her body was discovered at her family home in Woking, Surrey after her father called police and told them he had killed his daughter and left her before he, Batool and Malik fled to Pakistan.

Slamming the council and other agencies involved in Sara's care after the verdicts, the Children's Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: "There can be no doubt that Sara was failed in the starkest terms by the safety net of services around her. Even before she was born, she was known to social care – and yet she fell off their radar so entirely that by the time she died, she was invisible to them all."

Wardell joined Surrey County Council in December 2020. She was previously an Ofsted manager before moving to work with children and families at Wokingham Borough Council.

Speaking after the verdicts this week, she said: “Sara’s death is incredibly distressing and we share in the profound horror at the terrible details that have emerged during the trial. We cannot begin to comprehend the suffering that poor Sara endured at the hands of members of her family who should have loved, protected, and cared for her. We are resolute in our commitment to protecting children, and we are determined to play a full and active part in the forthcoming review."