News

Two of Britain’s most senior social services managers face increasing pressure to resign for their failings in the case of Victoria Climbié after it was revealed that more action has been taken against other staff involved in the case.

The Haringey director of social services at the time of Victoria’s death, Mary Richardson, and her assistant, Carol Wilson, have remained in their new jobs as directors of London’s Hackney and Waltham Forest social services respectively.

Hackney Council said there were no plans to examine Richardson’s position. It said she had "presided over the significant progress which has taken place in the department," since her appointment in November 1999.

Waltham Forest Council also said it had no plans to review Wilson’s position.

However, in contrast, Brent Council announced this week that it has dismissed the manager of the intake duty team responsible for assessing children deemed at risk of abuse at the time Victoria was referred to the local authority.

Edward Armstrong was found guilty of gross misconduct at an internal disciplinary hearing. His appeal has now been rejected.

Lord Laming’s inquiry into Victoria’s death heard that Armstrong had been disciplined by Brent Council in 1993, over his handling of a family case, that led to a "written agreement that Armstrong would not work with children".

It has also been revealed that another unnamed senior social worker in Armstrong’s team was given a final written warning resulting from Victoria Climbié’s case, which has now lapsed.

The council cleared Michelle Hines, the senior social worker who lifted police protection from Victoria after consultant paediatrician Ruby Schwartz ruled out non-accidental causes for the child’s injuries.

One of the key points in Laming’s report is that councils failed to take action against managers while disciplining, and in some cases dismissing, front-line workers.

Meanwhile, detective chief inspector Philip Wheeler has been removed from his secondment to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary after he was heavily criticised in Laming’s report for his "totally ineffective" management of Brent and Haringey child protection teams. The inspectorate said it was now "inappropriate" for him to inspect other officers.

Haringey Council’s Labour group put a motion to this week’s council meeting calling for the local authority to take "collective responsibility" for its part in events leading to Victoria’s death. Two councillors were criticised in Laming’s report, but the motion argues responsibility lies with the council as a whole rather than individual councillors.