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What social worker with just 19 months' experience and a high workload would not struggle with a complex child protection case?

But that's exactly the situation faced by Lisa Arthurworrey, the social worker who has been scapegoated in the media coverage of the Victoria Climbie case. Her evidence earlier this week outlined the substantial additional difficulties she faced in carrying out her work. Department restructuring, allegations of in-team bullying requiring distracting team-building sessions during lunch breaks and a lack of managerial support all contributed to the difficult working conditions in which Arthurworrey found herself.

There are many overloaded social workers around the country attempting to juggle high workloads while learning on the job. Children remain protected because the child protection system is built on the premise that inexperienced members of staff receive regular supervision, support and back-up from their line managers. They can refer up, they can use their managers' experience to gain the often crucial second opinion in a case, and they can expect both advice and direction.

It appears Lisa Arthurworrey received none of the above. On the rare occasions that this inexperienced worker had supervision sessions, she had to listen to one of her managers discuss her relationship with God and experience as a black woman. According to Arthurworrey's evidence, the North Tottenham social services office was in a severe crisis. Yet the chaos that reigned in one area office of Haringey social services did not permeate up to the top of the department and beyond. Instead, Haringey received a glowing report from the joint review team. While Arthurworrey told the inquiry she had never even met either the assistant director responsible for children and families services or the director, they were receiving plaudits for managing a well-run department. Without this case, the reality behind the facade would not have come to light.

This is further evidence that the performance target-ridden approach to managing social services departments can fail to meet the needs of vulnerable clients. An over-emphasis on targets can result in a senior management system focused on achieving success in the eyes of the Department of Health rather than in the eyes of their own front-line staff and, more importantly, users. They can end up overlooking serious problems either running through a department or isolated in one area office.

Workplace cultures can - and should - be scrutinised and improved. The culture of the wider society and its response to child abuse is harder to influence. No system can guarantee to protect all children at risk. Haringey Council acknowledged this in its preface to the part 8 review, when it stated that even had it acted properly, Victoria's safety would not have been guaranteed.

Agencies alone cannot protect vulnerable children. This difficult task also relies on the public, who give agencies their mandate to intervene, to make decisions and, inevitably, sometimes to fail. If the public lose their trust in, and respect for, social workers they will be far less likely to report concerns about children, and will eagerly condemn mistakes rather than ensuring they - as well as the professionals - learn from them.

But evidence this week raises suspicions that the Climbie case has already impacted negatively on public perceptions. Community Care's exclusive survey has found that a large proportion of people say their opinion of social workers has got worse because of the publicity surrounding the case and the way Lisa Arthurworrey was singled out during the criminal trial.

Social workers must not be scapegoated. But how can they not be scapegoated in the media when they are neglected, blamed, intimidated and unsupported within their own departments?

- See news, page 6