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The parents of Victoria Climbie have urged the government to punish the senior managers and councillors who were responsible for Haringey social services at the time of their daughter’s death, writes Clare Jerrom.

Welcoming the Care Standard’s Tribunal decision to remove Lisa Arthurworrey from the protection of Children Act List, Berthe and Francis Climbie said it was time that senior managers were held accountable for “the chaos that passed for social care in Haringey” when Victoria was abused and killed.

“The [Victoria Climbie] Foundation has always held that Lisa Arthurworrey was simply a convenient scapegoat for the senior people to hide their feelings behind,” a statement from Victoria’s parents said.

It adds that no action was taken against the chair of the social services department or the director of social services who went on to be director at Hackney social services where there has recently been a recent high profile child abuse case “among the African communities that social services department failed to properly deal with”.

It emerged this week that Hackney Council have launched an independent review into agencies' handling of the case where a girl was tortured by her carers who believed she was a witch. The child's aunt, who cannot be named and another relative Sita Kisanga were found guilty of child cruelty charges at the Old Bailey last week. Sebastian Pinto was convicted of aiding and abetting child cruelty.

The Climbies' statement highlights how Lord Laming had pointed out that senior managers had overseen Haringey social services and then moved on to better-paid jobs before the inquiry could examine their failings.

The Foundation urged the government to name the senior managers and bring them to account for the failings in the care system at Haringey.

“Only by this can the public have confidence that those really to blame for the failure to protect children have been made to take responsibility for their wrongdoing,” the statement concluded.