The Children's Services Blog: Baby P Archives

Is 'Baby P effect' behind record care applications?

By Camilla Pemberton, journalist, on February 9, 2012 12:47 PM | No Comments

baby p.jpg The news that care applications hit a record high last month has been picked up widely today, as has the (much-speculated about) connection with the Baby P case - that social workers are more risk averse following the death of Peter Connelly (pictured).

That's one of the reasons explored on the BBC Today programme this morning, but not the only one. Listen here for the full discussion, with contributions from social worker Anne Farmer, ADCS president Matt Dunkley and Anthony Douglas, chief executive of family courts body Cafcass here.

Whatever the reason, social workers have warned that the referrals spike - without extra resources - is having a disastrous affect on their stress levels and ability to provide good child protection services.

Baby P council fills Sharon Shoesmith role

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on August 16, 2011 2:01 PM | No Comments

Haringey council has appointed Libby Blake as its new director of children's services.

Due to start in November, Blake comes to Haringey from the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea where she was acting executive director for family and children's services.

Before joining Kensington & Chelsea in 2005 as director of family services, Blake spent 13 years in Lambeth in a variety of specialist child protection and management roles.

Blake replaces Peter Lewis whose fixed term three year contract comes to an end on 31 December 2011.

Will she be able to turn around the severely damaged image of Haringey children's services? Sounds like she has enough relevant experience. But time will tell.

Baby P doctor fights to get his job back

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on July 19, 2011 9:38 AM | No Comments

A GP suspended for failing to spot that Baby P was suffering horrific abuse at home has apologised for the failing, but said it would be a "completely different ball game" if he was faced with the same situation today.

Dr Jerome Ikwueke was suspended from the medical register last July by the General Medical Council after a panel said he had not acted in the best interests of Peter, seriously breaching his professional duty.

Regarding his part in Peter's death, Ikwueke said: "There were so many things that I didn't do but I should have done."

Baby P doctors demand independent inquiry

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on July 1, 2011 11:18 AM | No Comments

Pediatricians at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Baby P was seen days before he died, have called for independent investigators to look into allegations that senior managers withheld information from serious case review authors about the hospital's role in the case, according to reports.

The treatment of whistle-blowers is also a point of concern in the hospital, which recently had to apologise to Kim Holt, the senior doctor suspended after she blew the whistle on the clinic's failings before baby Peter's death. An undisclosed number of GOSH consultants published a letter in the medical journal The Lancet yesterday, expressing "alarm" at the way senior managers have treated clinicians who raise patient safety concerns. Consultants demanded "strong ministerial intervention to order an investigations into these matters, including the treatment of whistleblowers".

Baby P social workers win right to appeal

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on June 30, 2011 9:21 AM | No Comments

Gillie Christou and Maria Ward have successfully applied for permission to appeal against a Watford employment tribunal panel's ruling that Haringey was right to sack the two social workers for their role in the notorious child protection case.

Sharon Shoesmith, who herself has won compensation for her sacking as Haringey's children's services director over the Baby P case, was at the hearing yesterday to support her former co-workers.

See our full story here, with what Haringey has to say about all this.

Baby P killer to be out of prison in 6 weeks

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on June 24, 2011 9:11 AM | No Comments

Jason Owen, one of the adults jailed for his part in the death of Baby P, is going to be released from prison in six weeks, according to reports.

Reports say Owen has asked for a new identity, a request the Mail, in typical form, is blowing out of proportion and banging on about how YOU will have to pay for his new life on a seaside resort, etc.

But anyway. It will be interesting to see the backlash and coverage of Owen's release.

GOSH apologises to Baby P whistle-blower

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on June 15, 2011 9:59 AM | No Comments

Great Ormond Street Hospital has formally apologised to Kim Holt, the senior doctor suspended after she blew the whistle on the clinic's failings before baby Peter's death.

Consultant paediatrician Holt and three other colleagues wrote a letter to managers in 2006, warning that low staff numbers and poor record keeping posed a serious risk to children's safety at St Anne's clinic in Haringey.

photo credit: stevendepolo

Journalists who write about children's social care: a force for good or evil?

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on June 14, 2011 1:46 PM | No Comments

darth vader hello kitty by JD Hancock.jpg

We spotted another interesting piece about media coverage of the Baby P case in the Press Gazette today...

The PG explores the question of how much good journalists (such as myself) can do when writing about the care sector ...and how much harm.

There's The Sun, which last week was told to pay damages to one of the Haringey social workers it had targeted during the Baby P case, supposedly in the name of doing right by the child.

In the same week, there was praise for the press for the role they played in helping a man secure the release of his 21-year-old autistic son after he was taken into care unlawfully by Hillingdon Council.

A toughy, and too difficult to generalise, I would say. Surely it depends on the case and the possible number of clicks its key words will get a paper on its website?

photo credit: JD Hancock

Sun publishes Baby P apology

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on June 10, 2011 9:41 AM | No Comments

The Sun has published its apology to Sylvia Henry, one of the social workers the newspaper targeted in its campaign about the Baby P case in Haringey. The apology was part of a High Court ruling yesterday, which also said The Sun must pay Henry damages.

Baby P social worker to receive damages from Sun

By Molly Garboden, senior journalist, on June 9, 2011 1:58 PM | No Comments

One of the social workers who worked on the Baby P case in Haringey is going to receive "substantial damages" and an apology from the Sun newspaper, according to reports.

Sylvia Henry was one of the Haringey social workers targeted by the Sun following the child's death in 2007.

Henry was named in 80 articles, including around 11 front pages, according to reports, and the High Court was told that she also featured in a petition created by the newspaper and signed by 1.6m people and delivered to the government.

Read all the details in our full article here.

Recently in Baby P Category

Is 'Baby P effect' behind record care applications?

Baby P council fills Sharon Shoesmith role

Baby P doctor fights to get his job back

Baby P doctors demand independent inquiry

Baby P social workers win right to appeal

Baby P killer to be out of prison in 6 weeks

GOSH apologises to Baby P whistle-blower

Journalists who write about children's social care: a force for good or evil?

Sun publishes Baby P apology

Baby P social worker to receive damages from Sun

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