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The heartbreaking lives of two Oldham sisters abused and neglected by their own family have been revealed in a shocking report. 'Alpha' and her sister suffered physical abuse and neglect at the hands of their parents. They were reportedly trafficked to sexual predators from a young age by their father, a safeguarding review has found. The information only emerged after teenager - who chose to be called 'Alpha' in the review after her favourite Peaky Blinders' character - went missing from her care placement in the early 2020s. She was found with her sister nine days later in the house of a stranger in Oldham, who was later convicted of raping her. Alpha was one of several siblings known to social services due to a history of physical abuse and neglect. She was put in foster care from and early age, alongside a sister close in age. The girls still had contact with their family. Alpha's foster placement 'broke down' and she experienced a period of 'significant instability', pinballing between nine different placements in a 25-month period. Some only lasted only a month. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE She was separated from her sister and eventually ended up in a residential setting more than 70 miles away from her home. Alpha later went missing with another child from the home. Police found the teenager and her sister at a man's house in Oldham nine days later. When Alpha returned to her care home, she told workers she'd 'had sex with multiple men and been taking drugs'. A man was later convicted of rape. His details have not been released as part of the review report. Information later came to light, through Alpha's sibling, that she and her sisters had all been trafficked by their father to various men from young age. They had experienced significant sexual abuse when they lived with their parents, the report adds. Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership ordered a review of the complex safeguarding case. It was delayed until 2024 and has only just been published. The report praised 'numerous examples of good practice' by professionals in charge of Alpha's care. But it also found 'a direct correlation between the impact of separation from her family, her unhappiness and how these push-pull factors increased her exposure to risk and harm'. Separating Alpha from her sister 'proved to be a significant loss and created additional trauma' for the teenager, the report found, increasing her alienation from her new community. More emphasis could also have been placed on her cultural heritage, with Alpha telling the authors of the review she felt she had to 'adapt’' to an unknown culture 'alien' to her and that professionals in her care team did not understand what was 'normal' to her. Councillor Shaid Mushtaq, Oldham council's cabinet member for children and young people said: "This was a deeply distressing case, and my thoughts are first and foremost with Alpha and her siblings. "No child should ever have to experience what they went through, and as a council we are truly sorry for the pain and trauma they have suffered. "The safeguarding reviews make it clear that while there were professionals who showed real dedication and care, there were also areas where we should have done better. We have taken these findings extremely seriously and acted on the learning points identified. "Since these tragic incidents which took place several years ago, we have made significant changes to strengthen our safeguarding work. "That includes earlier identification of risk, better coordination between agencies, and a renewed focus on making sure that every child’s voice is heard, understood and acted upon. "We have also invested in staff training around cultural awareness and trauma-informed practice, to ensure that decisions fully reflect each child's individual background and needs."
