[1] The case was widely reported at the time and resulted in a public enquiry: Committee of Inquiry into the Care and Supervision Provided in Relation to Maria Colwell (1974).
Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Care and Supervision provided by local authorities and other agencies in Relation to Maria Colwell and the co-ordination between them.
[2][3] Maria was one of six siblings and was survived by her three half-brothers and two half-sisters, as well as her foster parents Bob and Doris Cooper, with whom she spent six years of her life.
The following morning he wheeled Maria in a pram to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with severe internal injuries including brain damage; she died shortly after arrival.
[12] Despite the publication of a book urging the tragedy not to be forgotten[13] it took over thirty years before agencies were required by law to guarantee the free-flow of information.
The Report of the Committee of Inquiry into the Care and Supervision Provided in Relation to Maria Colwell identified three main contributory factors: the lack of communication between the agencies who were aware of her vulnerable situation; inadequate training for social workers assigned to at-risk children; and changes in the make-up of society.