Council facing urgent questions over deaths of two more teens

Two more teenagers who were in the care of Barnet Council have died since the death of 18-year-old Nonita Grabovskyte - prompting urgent questions over whether vital lessons were delayed.  

Both were 18-year-old care leavers and died in December 2024 and January 2025 - just over a year after Nonita took her own life on 28 December 2023, the north London council said.

Their names have not yet been released while families are being informed, but confirmation of the deaths means three care-experienced young people connected to Barnet have now died in the space of 13 months.

It raises serious concerns about what the council learned from Nonita's case and whether earlier action to publish and implement changes could have prevented further loss of life.

Nonita's death - investigated in the Sky News documentary Unseen: A Girl Called Nonita - featured critical failings in the transition between children's and adult services.

The coroner later described an "absence of coordinated transition" during the most vulnerable moment in her life.

Despite that, Sky News has learned that a joint learning review into the deaths of Nonita and the second young person, known only as Young Person E, was completed in February.

But publication was delayed for almost a year, until after the conclusion of Nonita's inquest in October.

The inquest process is under way for the most recent death - Young Person R - with a review expected to be launched, a council spokesperson said.

The timing has led to growing scrutiny over whether lessons were identified on paper but not acted on quickly enough to protect others.

Oversight of learning reviews sits with the Barnet Safeguarding Children Partnership, which includes the police, NHS, and council.

Barnet Council says the delayed learning review into the deaths of Nonita and the second young person will finally be presented to the safeguarding partnership on 27 November, after which its findings will be published.

An inquest into the most recent death is scheduled for February.

We'll learn lessons, says council leader

Council leader Barry Rawlings said: "We're sorry for what happened. We do realise there have been some failures by different agencies, including the council.

"It shouldn't happen, and we need to learn from that.

"It's a complete tragedy, obviously you wish these things don't happen. But as I said, the only thing we can do is to learn proper lessons from it. It's happened. I can't stop it.

"We'll do we can to stop a similar thing happening again. That is the important thing. And that's what my focus is on, the future."

Read more: Council accused of 'toxic culture of secrecy'

Hundreds of young people who grew up in care have died in England since 2020, according to figures obtained by Sky News.

Sky News analysis found 91 care leavers aged 16 to 25 died in the past year alone - nearly two every week.

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is currently in parliament, intended to improve children's social care.

Campaigners have criticised the bill, saying it does not go far enough to prevent the deaths of young people in the system. But the government is resisting calls to make amendments.

Local authorities in England are now spending more than £14bn a year on children's social care - that includes foster care, children's homes, safeguarding, and support for care leavers.

(c) Sky News 2025: Council facing urgent questions over deaths of two more teens