Acclaimed British actor and director Samantha Morton has called for local councils to face manslaughter charges when children in their care die due to neglect or systemic failings.
In an emotional interview with Sky News, the Nottingham-born star spoke openly about her own experiences growing up in care and said the UK’s child care system is “broken beyond repair.”
Her commentary followed the release of the Sky News talkie A Girl Called Nonita, which told the woeful story of 18- time-old Nonita Grabovskyte.
Nonita failed in December 2023 after advising croakers and social workers that she was suicidal. Despite her repeated pleas for help, she was left without protection and later took her own life, sparking wide outrage and demands for responsibility.
Samantha Morton on the UK Care Crisis
Reflecting on Nonita’s story, Morton said it reminded her painfully of her own past. “I was a child of the state, just like Nonita,” she said.
Having been placed in care from birth, she moved between foster homes and children’s institutions before being left to live in a hotel at just 16.
It was only after joining a small original amusement group that her life began to change, ultimately leading her to stardom in films like Minority Report and In America.
Despite her success, Morton said she has never forgotten the failures of the care system. “The lack of care historically is shocking, but the lack of care today is worse,” she said, calling for “root and branch reform” and describing the system as “not fit for purpose.”
Care Leaver Deaths on the Rise
Numbers from the Department for Education reveal a worrying trend. The number of deaths among young people leaving care has further than doubled, from 40 in 2020 to 90 in 2023.
Numerous of these care leavers, aged 18 to 25, are being left to live singly without the support they need.
The department only began collecting data for those aged 22 to 25 in 2023, suggesting the true scale of the problem may be even greater.
Demand for Accountability in Child Protection
Morton said those responsible for these failures must face justice. “A failure to care has massive consequences. I believe that is a kind of state manslaughter. And individuals who fail to do their job properly should be in a dock,” she said.
Her comments were echoed by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who said: “The deaths of care-experienced young people should shame us all.”
Phillipson called for every such death to be reported through the Child Safeguarding Incident Notification Scheme, warning that underreporting remains a serious issue.
She added, “It’s only if we know what’s happening that we can provide the support they need. It shames us all as a country that we so badly fail many of the most vulnerable children who’ve experienced such appalling trauma and abuse in their early lives.”
Calls for Change in the UK Care System
Morton’s powerful words have reignited debate about child protection reform and local authority accountability. Her drive for manslaughter charges over child care deaths has struck a chord with contenders and watchdogs across the UK.
As public pressure builds, many are asking whether the government will eventually act to fix a system that continues to let down the most vulnerable.
Still, Samaritans offers free, nonpublic help at any time on 116 123 or via Samaritans, if you or someone you know is affected by the issues discussed.
