More could have been done to help Shay Kang, 10, killed by mother in Rowley Regis
An independent review has been looking into the circumstances surrounding Shay Kang's death in Rowley Regis in 2024.
Last updated 7th Oct 2026
An independent review, looking into the circumstances surrounding Shay Kang's death in 2024, has found more could have been done to help her.
The 10-year-old was stabbed at her home in Rowley Regis in March 2024.
Her mother, Jaskirat Kaur (also known as Jasmine Kang), admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was handed an indefinite hospital order.
The court heard the paranoid schizophrenic stabbed her daughter 11 times in the chest while she slept.
A new independent review has been looking into the actions from the school, social workers, and other agencies in the period leading up to Shay's death to determine whether more could have been done to protect her.
Kaur pulled Shay out of school in January 2023, with the school raising concerns with police and social workers. The local child safeguarding practice review (LCSPR) found: "There seemed to be no independent thinking about why the school were so concerned, about how this school absence needed to be considered on its own merits."
It suggested each agency acted appropriately, considering there was no pattern or history of neglect, but "there was a circularity about how some information was treated".
It added: "The effort to initiate a multi-agency discussion did not progress because the criteria for an attendance support panel service required parental consent."
The review found while more could have been done, there was no evidence of the mother's violent intent towards Shay.
It said: "While there were concerns about how the family's needs were met and about Shay's care, there were no indications that Shay's mother would violently assault her. Shay's death could not have been predicted, anticipated, or foreseen."
Sandwell Children’s Safeguarding Partnership said partners have taken significant steps to improve practices and, while it's been acknowledged more could have been done to help the family, no action was likely to have prevented Shay's death.