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The NSPCC was ordered to produce a written statement to the Victoria Climbie Inquiry explaining the absence and alteration of key documents, writes Lauren Revans.

The children's charity was responsible for the management of the Tottenham children and family centre.

The centre, run from 2 sites was a partnership between Haringey council, Haringey health authority and the NSPCC.

Former practice manager at the Moira Close site, Sylvia Henry told the inquiry that she had been shown an original contact sheet on Victoria's case during an NSPCC internal management review in Jan 2001.

She said it had contained notes of a conversation between herself and the referrer, north Tottenham senior practitioner Barry Almeida confirming that Victoria had left the area and her case had been closed.

However, the version submitted to the inquiry in June was a photocopy and had been doctored to conceal names. Henry claimed notes of her conversation with Almeida had also been concealed.

By the end of the day's evidence the charity had produced the 'lost' original, and now has until the inquiry reconvenes in the new year to produce a statement on the document's reappearance and on the discrepancies between the two versions.

Inquiry chairperson Lord Herbert Laming said he found it 'very difficult indeed' to understand why an organisation 'allegedly as experienced as the NSPCC' should not secure the originals of very important documents.

"I would have expected the NSPCC actually to understand something of the requirements of the Children's Act in this matter," he said.

Laming added that the NSPCC's statement should also address why an initial search for Victoria on its system after her death had been unsuccessful, but that her case had been identified during a separate search under the name of one of Victoria's killers, Carl Manning.

Laming questioned whether this indicated that there were additional missing documents, as there was nothing in the NSPCC evidence submitted so far to suggest they had any knowledge of Manning.