Nothing that can't be fixed

First, we should ensure that social workers have adequate time and are not distracted by too much bureaucracy. They also shouldn't carry responsibilities beyond their experience and expertise.

Second, the social work degree should continue because it gives a basic knowledge about issues such as disability, mental health and drug misuse - all of which are relevant to children's social care. A grounding in child care is also necessary for adult care social workers because they could be the only contact with some families. We should also introduce a newly qualifi ed social worker status for a year with induction into specialist practice and with mandatory post-qualifying awards to be achieved as more complex and supervisory work is taken on.

Third, senior managers and inspectors should have performance indicators about numbers of social workers, vacancy and turnover rates, and use of agency workers.

Fourth, reward structures should be created that retain experienced social workers close to practice. This should include paying more, including for team managers who can infl uence the daily experience of practitioners. Maintaining continuity in frontline team management should be another performance indicator.

Fifth, experienced senior managers should support frontline practice, tackling performance when necessary, meeting frontline teams, sample reading case files, and knowing their frontline managers. When a tragedy does occur, senior managers should quickly be with frontline teams. Too often managers distance themselves because they may have to take a view about practice and performance.

There should be a requirement that every council appoint a top child protection social worker with a specific responsibility to report in public to all councillors on the state of child protection services provided by the council, and to report to the independently chaired safeguarding board on child protection services across all agencies.

Councillors and government ministers say child protection is the top priority. If so, now is the time to sort out where safety can be improved.

Ray Jones is professor of social work, Kingston University and St George's, University of London.