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Social workers at Brighton and Hove Council's children services are threatening strike action over the suspension of two social workers following the death of four-year-old John Smith at the hands of his adoptive parents.

Last week around 100 social workers demonstrated outside the council offices before moving into the director's office and demanding the social workers are reinstated.

The protest was finally defused when social services director Allan Bowman agreed to meet social workers the following day with council leader Ken Bodfish. At the meeting, Bowman promised staff that there would be an investigation into the social workers' actions before any disciplinary measures were taken.

Dave Pameley, who was in charge of John Smith's case, and adoption worker John Barrow were suspended following the child's death, pending a court case. Last week, Simon and Michelle McWilliam were convicted of cruelty to their adopted son.

Kevin Byrne, co-convenor of Unison at Brighton Council, said Pameley and Barrow were being scapegoated when in fact a lack of resources and management mishandling were to blame.

"All front line child protection social workers have no confidence in the senior management of the social services department to run the service properly," he said.

But Bowman insisted the investigation was essential because of the severity of the case as the summary of the part 8 review into John's care and protection says social workers made mistakes.

The report says: "While a major reduction in fieldwork posts and weaknesses in first-line management systems in Brighton and Hove social services contributed, to differing degrees, to the pressures under which social workers one and three were working, the critical failures in this case were not in resourcing systems, but in the performance of basic social work tasks."

It also makes a series of recommendations, which the council said it has taken on board. More basic information is now required from prospective adopters including birth certificate, employment status, driving licence, next of kin and addresses for the previous decade.

The report's author notes: "Currently in the UK, more documentary evidence is required when an individual is seeking a mortgage than when they are adopting a child."

The review finds that a more thorough, objective and evidence based assessment of the McWilliams would have stopped the couple getting into the system. Investigations into Mr McWilliam's past experience as a parent would have resulted in the process being immediately terminated.

Bowman concluded: "All the agencies involved have learned lessons and are implementing major improvements in the way we look after children in our care."