Verphy Kudi: Brighton council told of safeguarding incident

Verphy Kudi was living in Gochers Court, supported living in Brighton, when she left her child Asiah for six days while she partied around the country.

YMCA DownsLink Group, which runs the accommodation, has responded after it was revealed the baby had been left home alone “11 times before”.

READ MORE: Mother who partied while daughter starved had left her home alone '11 times before'

A spokeswoman said: “We have not been informed about the 11 occasions that the prosecution referred to and staff were not aware.

“The flats at Gocher Court are self-contained and are rented on a private tenancy basis. Families living at these flats live independently and are free to come and go without being monitored. Staff are available during the day, to offer housing-related support and one/two hours of planned key-work sessions each week.

“CCTV footage is not used for live monitoring and so is not used to monitor the live activities/actions of residents. It is there to provide security and as a deterrent to anti-social behaviour.

“It is also available to provide retrospective information and as such, all CCTV footage was handed over to the police to aid the criminal investigation. It was the police investigation, after Asiah’s death which has brought these possible further instances to light.”

Verphy Kudi reportedly left her child, Asiah, alone 11 times before

The spokeswoman said Brighton and Hove City Council were told about a "safeguarding incident” involving Kudi and Asiah.

The spokeswoman added: “The safeguarding incident which we were aware of was reported to social services.

“This tragic death is still being investigated with the safeguarding practice review which we are contributing to fully and we will not be making any further comments until we have the outcome of that review.

“Our sympathies and thoughts are with the family and everyone affected by this tragic event.”

Last month, The Argus revealed that despite Kudi’s troubled past, her baby was not under the watch of social services.

Asiah had been placed on a child protection plan. This is a plan drawn up by local authorities for children considered at risk.

However, little Asiah was no longer on a child protection plan at the time of her death, nor was she being helped by social work services.

Brighton and Hove City Council was asked why Asiah had been taken off a child protection plan despite reportedly being made aware of safeguarding issue.

A spokesman declined to respond to the allegation, or The Argus’s question.