The House of Commons today heard how Surrey County Council contributed to teenager Jennifer (‘Jen’) Chalkley’s suicide in October 2021.
Jen was just 17 years old when she took her own life. An Inquest, which concluded in May 2024, found that multiple failures on the part of Surrey and Borders’ Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Surrey County Council contributed to Jen’s death.
Chris Coghlan, MP for Dorking and Horley, raised Jen’s story during today’s debate on the Children’s Wellbeing and School’s Bill.
Mr Coghlan said:
“The whole country was saddened and shocked by the murder of Surrey child Sara Sharif. Sadly, there are other stories in Surrey that also need to be heard. Jennifer Chalkley from my constituency, Bookham, started college in September 2021. She was 17 and had been diagnosed with autism and ADHD. A month later, she was dead, from suicide.
Last year, the Coroner concluded that her death was avoidable. It had been a multi-agency failure, including by the Children and Families Lifelong Learning Department at Surrey County Council to, and I quote, from the Coroner’s report, “ensure that Jennifer’s Education Health and Care Plan had sufficient and up to date information about her mental and emotional health needs and her risk of suicide.”
While I welcome this Bill, in particular data sharing around public authorities … it is not enough, and it will not prevent alone the catastrophic and systematic negligence by Surrey County Council.
This is the same department that had the highest number of stat breaches related to children reported to local gov and social care ombudsmen for over two years. A fact they covered up for over14 months from their own County Council scrutiny committee.
Jennifer Chalkley, Oskar Nash, Sara Sharif. Surrey County Council objectively contributed to their death by ignoring existing legislation.
Surrey County Council failed to comply with existing legislation. How on earth are we meant to believe that new legislation alone will be enough?
I know from my constituents that there are children out there in Surrey right now who are at risk.
This morning, Jennifer Chalkley’s mother, Sharren, texted me to say: “even though you didn’t get to meet Jen, her story is a powerful one, and needs sharing to save other young lives. I raised Jen to be the change we want to see in the world, and she’s still doing this.”
I replied: “she will be”.
And so, I would ask the House, is this Bill alone enough to save our children’s lives? Or does the Children, Families and Lifelong Learning Department at Surrey County Council also need root and branch reform immediately?”
