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One person should have sole responsibility for child protection in each area, former education secretary Gillian Shephard proposed in a session debating the future of children's services post-Victoria Climbie.

Shephard suggested that one official at local level should be made "responsible and accountable", such as the chief executive of a county or unitary authority.

"It is time to consider a regrouping of agencies for child protection purposes," she said, adding that agencies must be made to work together.

But Rachel Cochrane, a social worker from Hampshire, expressed concern that any changes could lead to yet more meetings for time-pressed social workers.