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Baby P's social workers sacked to get council "off the hook"

Baby P's social workers were sacked to get Haringey Council "off the hook" and satisfy demand for retribution during the second trial of Peter Connelly's mother , it was claimed today. Maria Ward and Gillian Christou are claiming unfair...

Published 23 Sep 2010 3:35 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, gillian christou, Haringey Council, maria ward, Peter Connelly, social work, social workers, workforce

Peter Connelly inquest to take place later this year

North London coroner's court has confirmed that there will be a pre-inquest review into Peter Connelly's death in July, with a full hearing expected later in the year. According to the Mirror , Peter's family is also pressing local MP Lynne...

Published 3 Jun 2010 11:01 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Haringey, inquest, kirsty mcgregor, Peter Connelly

Time to fight back against The Sun's woeful Baby P coverage

Oh dear - our friends at The Sun are at it again. The tabloid's report of the General Social Care Council conduct hearings for the Peter Connelly case in the 27 May edition is not only biased but inaccurate. They even managed to get the GSCC's...

Published 27 May 2010 5:22 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Community Care, General Social Care Council, stand up now for social work, The Sun, workforce

Ten years on, why is Victoria Climbié's social worker still suffering?

25 February 2010 marks the tenth anniversary of Victoria Climbié's death. Over the course of the last decade there have been major changes in child protection policies in the UK. But for one social worker involved in the case, life is still frozen...

Published 11 Feb 2010 10:44 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, conduct, social work, social workers, stand up now for social work, training, victoria climbie, workforce

National papers bring you old news with added outrage

Here at Community Care we try to bring you the most up-to-date information about the social work and social care sector. Not everyone else does. At the weekend three of the major nationals ran a story about the Ministry of Justice's publication of...

Published 11 Jan 2010 2:31 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: adult protection, Baby P, children and young people, Criminal justice, domestic violence, ethnic minorities, faith groups, Family courts, social work, social workers, stand up now for social work

How the papers reacted to the social work task force reforms

If you were in any doubt how massive a reform of social work yesterday's task force report has set in motion, you need only look at the varying degree of coverage across the mainstream news outlets. Read More...

Published 2 Dec 2009 11:06 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, conduct, social work, social workers, The Sun

Ofsted 'only now' discovers vital Sharon Shoesmith evidence

by Molly Garboden Ofsted has "discovered" vital evidence relating to the judicial review hearing for Sharon Shoesmith, the sacked former director of children's services at Haringey. (Pic credit Rex Features) Read More...

Published 10 Nov 2009 4:32 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, evidence, high court, Ofsted, Shoesmith, whistleblower, workforce

Review: Panorama- The child protectors

Review: Panorama goes on the frontline with Coventry's child protection team looking at the challenges social workers face BBC, Monday 2 November ***** Read More...

Published 3 Nov 2009 4:35 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, caseloads, child protection, children's services, Media, safeguarding, social workers, television programme

Baby P lodger wins appeal

Jason Owen, the lodger at Peter Connelly's home who was jailed following the child's death, has won his appeal against his indeterminate sentence, according to the BBC . More on this story to come on the Community Care website. Read More...

Published 27 Oct 2009 1:01 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, crime, Criminal justice

Did Dear Deidre tame the social work dragon?

by Daniel Lombard The most hotly-debated event in this year's social work calendar finally arrived yesterday with the General Social Care Council's annual conference. Having backed her employers' witch-hunt against social workers in the wake...

Published 15 Oct 2009 1:44 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, daniel lombard, deidre sanders, Media, social work, stand up now for social work, The Sun

Why Deidre was wrong to crow about The Sun's toxic campaign

by Daniel Lombard If social work and tabloid newspapers have always been uneasy bedfellows, the row over Deidre Sanders' continued involvement in efforts to improve the profession has reinforced the feeling that it was never going to be a match made...

Published 9 Oct 2009 2:37 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Baby Peter, daniel lombard, deidre sanders, stand up now for social work, The Sun

Sharon Shoesmith appeal: was due process followed?

The emails that have emerged during the judicial review of Sharon Shoesmith's dismissal from Haringey Council are fascinating. They provide a tantalising glimpse of the support Shoesmith received from those in power. Whatever you think about whether...

Published 8 Oct 2009 3:12 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Baby Peter, Shoesmith

Sharon Shoesmith left "financially ruined"

It's day one of the judicial review of Sharon Shoesmith's sacking from Haringey Council over the Baby Peter scandal. The High Court heard today from her barrister James Maurici, who said: "She has been financially ruined and her health has...

Published 7 Oct 2009 6:19 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Baby Peter, child protection, Haringey, Ruth Smith, safeguarding, Shoesmith

Were Brandon's social workers given an easy ride?

by Daniel Lombard The tragic case of Brandon Muir has been called Scotland's Baby P, and there are certainly similarities. Both cases were marked by poor inter-agency working, overworked professionals missing vital signs of abuse, and mothers who...

Published 24 Aug 2009 6:30 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Brandon Muir, child protection, dundee, Haringey, Peter Connelly

Haringey damned by lack of the basics

by Bronagh Miskelly A generous soul might describe the latest verdict on Haringey's child protection services as "could do a great deal better", but looking at some of the ongoing areas for improvement in the report by Ofsted and other inspection...

Published 3 Jul 2009 1:35 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, children and young people, local authorities, safeguarding, serious case review

Farewell, Ed Balls - and good riddance

The forthcoming cabinet reshuffle could see us bidding farewell to the children's secretary if he fulfils his ambition of becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer. As the first ever secretary of state to oversee children's well-being, Ed Balls has...

Published 2 Jun 2009 11:33 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, beverley hughes, ed balls, General Social Care Council, Sharon Shoesmith, The Sun

Who's really responsible

By Emma Maier The latest developments in the Baby P case once again emphasise the complexity of the situation. Haringey Council has dismissed an agency practitioner and suspended two staff social workers "for not dealing with their workloads appropriately"...

Published 20 Apr 2009 10:43 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Emma Maier, Haringey Council

Police "missed chances to save Baby P"

By Emma Maier Police mistakes meant a chance to charge Baby P's mother with assaulting him was missed several weeks before his death, the BBC has reported . Read More...

Published 9 Apr 2009 11:24 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection

Dangerous Liaisons

By Natalie Valios Children are more at risk of being killed by their stepfather or mother's boyfriend than they are by their birthfather. Most of the UK's most infamous child deaths have been at their hands. Read More...

Published 8 Apr 2009 10:05 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, Natalie Valios

Poll brings good news

By Emma Maier The Local Government Association recently polled 1,000 members of the public to reveal their perceptions of social work after the Baby P case. The results were surprisingly encouraging. Read More...

Published 1 Apr 2009 3:20 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Doncaster Council, Emma Maier, Local Government Association, polls, stand up now for social work

Community Care meets The Sun

By Emma Maier I have a confession to make. I spent yesterday evening with a senior journalist from The Sun . And he wasn't all bad. Read More...

Published 1 Apr 2009 9:56 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, Emma Maier, Media, stand up now for social work, The Sun

GSCC decision could affect Baby P social workers

By Emma Maier The GSCC's latest decision highlights an important issue about where accountability lies for child protection actions taken by multi-agency teams. In doing so, it sets a precendent that could have implications for the conduct hearings...

Published 30 Mar 2009 5:13 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, conduct, Emma Maier, General Social Care Council, gscc, Media, multi-agency, multi-disciplinary, stand up now for social work

Everyone can Stand Up Now for Social Work - regulators included

by Daniel Lombard Community Care launched Stand Up Now for Social Work after witnessing the relentless vilification by the media in recent months, which damaged not only the sector's morale but its overall public image. In times like this it may be...

Published 23 Mar 2009 5:31 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, conduct, ed balls, General Social Care Council, Sharon Shoesmith

Laming's most used word: 'Children'

by Emma Maier Having spent a good portion of yesterday afternoon reading the recommendations from Lord Laming's report , I wondered if there was a quick way to get an overview of what he said. So I used a useful online tool to run an analysis of the...

Published 13 Mar 2009 2:38 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, children's services, Emma Maier, Laming inquiry

We all need to stand up for social work

By Emma Maier You have told Community Care that you have had enough of inaccurate, misleading and hostile media coverage of social work - and we agree. We've launched the Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign to fight back and show the public what...

Published 11 Mar 2009 12:09 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Emma Maier, Media, stand up now for social work, The Sun

Laming report "leaked" to the News of the World

By Maria Ahmed, Deputy News Editor Lord Laming's review of child protection ordered after Baby P appears to have been leaked to the News of the World ahead of its official publication on Thursday. Whether or not the content reported by the paper is...

Published 9 Mar 2009 12:34 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, children in care, David Cameron, ed balls, Gordon Brown, Haringey, lord laming, the news of the world, The Sun, victoria climbie

Councillors, officers and Baby P

By Maria Ahmed, Deputy News Editor Haringey Council's ex-leader George Meehan, who resigned over the Baby P scandal , has told a local paper he did not have all the information about the case. He told the Hornsey and Crouch End Journal : "I wasn't...

Published 26 Feb 2009 9:15 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Camden Council, children's services, Doncaster Council, George Meehan, Haringey, Lynne Featherstone

The secrets of social work success

By Maria Ahmed Post-Baby P, children's services across the country are wondering how they can remain off the hit-list and show their mettle. Nine councils are already subject to government improvement notices over their failing children's services...

Published 24 Feb 2009 11:39 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, children and young people, children's services, education, safeguarding, social work, social workers, workforce

The Sun - mis-informed or wilfully inaccurate?

By Emma Maier The Sun newspaper continues to blunder through it's coverage of the Baby P case - the latest development, according to the Sun , is that the General Medical Council has SUSPENDED the child's family GP but that social worker STILL...

Published 20 Feb 2009 10:11 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Emma Maier, Media, The Sun

Solution already exists for A&E child protection checks

By Bronagh Miskelly Oh for some joined up government - perhaps just some joined up Department of Health thinking. Read More...

Published 19 Feb 2009 1:31 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: A&E, Baby P, Bronagh Miskelly, child protection, Department of Health, NHS

Serious case reviews: learning not blaming

By Emma Maier The Baby P case was sad for many reasons. One that hasn't featured much in the media is particularly poignant for the social work profession: that the case followed another with chilling similarities. Had the lessons from that case been...

Published 16 Feb 2009 5:31 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Aaron Gilbert, Baby P, child protection, Emma Maier, safeguarding, serious case review, serious case reviews

Sharon Shoesmith's interviews - not quite our Frost/Nixon

by Mithran Samuel Sharon Shoesmith's interviews with The Guardian and Radio 4's Woman's Hour on Saturday were, in some senses, social work's equivalents of the infamous clash between David Frost and Richard Nixon in 1977 . In both cases...

Published 9 Feb 2009 11:12 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, ed balls, Haringey, Mithran Samuel, Richard Nixon, Sharon Shoesmith, Social Work Taskforce

Children's services no subject for political point scoring

By Emma Maier I suppose it was only a matter of time before the horror of the Baby P case subsided sufficiently for politicians to want to use children's services as a political football. Today it happened. This week's culprit? Ed Balls . Read...

Published 3 Feb 2009 4:15 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, children's services, ed balls, Emma Maier, politicians, Politics

Community Care calls on Sun to support UK social workers

by Daniel Lombard Following the conclusion of the trial of the carers of Baby P, The Sun led a major campaign against the social workers who worked with the child. In an open letter to the newspaper Daniel Lombard asks its editor, Rebekah Wade, to rethink...

Published 29 Jan 2009 3:55 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, conduct, General Social Care Council, social work, The Sun

Lord Laming's caseload

writes Emma Maier This week's news pages show several recent predictions ringing true. A Unison poll found soaring caseloads, complex child protection cases given to inexperienced staff and vacancy problems. A union rep in Haringey said coverage of...

Published 28 Jan 2009 9:31 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, Emma Maier

Social work blog round up

by Lauren Vanderkar Here is a round-up of interesting posts from the various social care blogs out there in the ether. Read More...

Published 23 Jan 2009 4:26 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, blogs, class, dementia, lauren vanderkar, lying, recession, social work, social workers

Do we need an awareness campaign explaining social work?

By Emma Maier The Association of Directors of Social Work , which represents senior social workers in Scotland, has signed a one-year deal with a PR firm to run a public information campaign telling people what social services does. I'll be very interested...

Published 21 Jan 2009 9:58 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, Campaign, Emma Maier, Media, social workers, voluntary sector, workforce

Doncaster: Learning the lessons?

By Maria Ahmed, Deputy News Editor 'Learning the lessons' has become the tragic cliché of social work. This worn-out language always emerges when there is a child death, somehow dampening the impact of every fresh incident. Of late, you wonder...

Published 20 Jan 2009 10:48 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: alfie goddard, Baby P, Doncaster Council, Haringey, serious case reviews, Sharon Shoesmith, victoria climbie

Councils struggle to find social workers after Baby P

by Simeon Brody So reports The Times today - now there's a surprise for you. Read More...

Published 10 Dec 2008 10:19 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, simeon brody, social workers

Independence is key to safeguarding

by Bronagh Miskelly It is strange that often the higher up the chain a person climbs and the bigger their responsibilities the less feedback it is necessary for them to undergo. Read More...

Published 2 Dec 2008 12:59 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Baby P, child protection, safeguarding, serious case reviews

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