Victoria Climbie files left on the street

Filing cabinets labelled “V Climbie” were left unattended on the
street during a Haringey social services office move.

The two filing cabinets were left abandoned on a street in Wood
Green, North London, while removal men undertook other work. The
council was moving the filing cabinets together with other
furniture and equipment between the office in Wood Green and
another one nearby.

A passer-by reported that the files were on the pavement for
over half-an-hour, and said people on the street were talking about
the cabinets because no-one could believe that they had been left
unattended.

Haringey council denies that the filing cabinets, which were
locked and taped up, were left unattended. A spokesperson said:
“The tried and tested company responsible for moving council
records and filing cabinets strongly refutes the sugestion that
they left anything unattended.”

Lord Laming’s recent report into Victoria Climbie’s death was
highly critical of Haringey social services. During the inquiry it
failed to produce relevant documents and some were discovered in a
manager’s loft. Social services director Anne Bristow was also
summoned to explain why many documents were submitted late.