Regret over failure to respond to letter

The North Tottenham child protection adviser
who received a letter of concern from North Middlesex Hospital
paediatrician Mary Rossiter told the public inquiry into the girl’s
death earlier this week that she wished she had “responded
quicker”. Petra Kitchman received the letter on 2 September 1999
after Victoria Climbie had been released from hospital. She did not
mention it to Victoria’s allocated social worker Lisa Arthurworrey
until a month later. Kitchman said she regretted “letting it
delay”. She eventually replied to Rossiter on 19 October.

Kitchman told the inquiry her managers were
aware of her concerns that there were no Haringey-employed social
workers at the hospital and that the Enfield social workers who
were there did not carry out initial assessments.