Council chiefs axed over Baby P tragedy
SENIOR figures on the council responsible for protecting Baby P were axed today after a damning report exposed a 'catalogue of failings' leading up to the toddler’s death.
Sharon Shoesmith, head of children’s services at Haringey Council was removed from her post with immediate effect.
Council leader George Meehan and the cabinet member for children Liz Santry both resigned as a result of the scandal.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls said people who deal with children’s safety must be “accountable”, adding that the findings of the report were “damning” and “devastating” and all of their recommendations must be accepted by Haringey.
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He said he had ordered a new serious case review into the death of Baby P, with an executive summary to be published by the end of March.
Mr Balls announced that he had directed the council to remove Ms Shoesmith and install Hampshire County Council’s director of children’s services, John Coughlan, in her place.
Mr Coughlan was seconded to Haringey last month to oversee children’s services in the wake of the Baby P trial.
Overall, the inspectors’ findings are, I have to say, devastating
Mr Balls said: “Overall, the inspectors’ findings are, I have to say, devastating.
“Their report sets out detailed recommendations, all of which must now be accepted in full.
“Having studied their report I’ve decided to take immediate action. My first priority is to put in place a new leadership and management team in Haringey children’s services to ensure that vulnerable children in the borough are properly protected.
“I have directed Haringey council today to appoint John Coughlan as director of children’s services with immediate effect.
“Haringey council will now remove the current director of children’s services from her post with immediate effect.”
Mr Balls told a press conference the public had been “shocked” by the Baby P case.
He said social workers, police and other officials who dealt with children’s safety often worked in “challenging circumstances”.
But he added: “They must also be accountable for the decisions and when things go badly wrong people want to know why and what can be done about it.”
Mr Balls ruled out a public inquiry into Haringey children’s services “for now”, saying the immediate priority was making management changes to safeguard vulnerable children in the borough.
He said: “The report from (the inspectors) is a damning verdict on the current management and safeguarding in Haringey.
“In their summary judgment the inspectors say, and I quote, ’There are a number of serious concerns in relation to safeguarding of children and young people in Haringey.
“’The contribution of local services to improving outcomes for children and young people at risk or requiring safeguarding is inadequate and needs urgent action’.”
Mr Balls added: “The inspectors also highlight - and this is something which really worries me - a failure to talk directly to children at risk.
“Where children were not seen alone, it worries me greatly that the inspectors found little evidence of management follow-up to ensure that children suspected of being abused were properly heard and able to speak up without fear.”
Mr Balls revealed that Ofsted inspectors judged that the Serious Case Review into Baby P’s death was “inadequate”.
Of the nine individual agency management reports on which the Serious Case Review was based, the inspectors found just three to be “good”, one to be “adequate” and five to be “inadequate”.
Reports from Haringey Children’s Social Services and Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust were found to “lack rigour in their analysis and to significantly undermine the integrity of the Serious Case Review”.
Mr Balls said: “They conclude that as a result, the Serious Case Review misses important opportunities to ensure lessons are learnt.”
