Child protection area heads needed

One person should have sole responsibility for child protection in
each area, former education secretary Gillian Shephard proposed in
a session debating the future of children’s services post-Victoria
Climbie.

Shephard suggested that one official at local level should be made
“responsible and accountable”, such as the chief executive of a
county or unitary authority.

“It is time to consider a regrouping of agencies for child
protection purposes,” she said, adding that agencies must be made
to work together.

But Rachel Cochrane, a social worker from Hampshire, expressed
concern that any changes could lead to yet more meetings for
time-pressed social workers.