Tribunal hears that Arthurworrey should not be on Poca list

The social worker at the centre of the Victoria Climbie case
should not have been placed on a list alongside paedophiles and
child abusers, a tribunal has heard, writes Simeon
Brody.

Barrister Peter Jackson QC told the Care Standards Tribunal that
placing Lisa Arthurworrey on the Protection of Children Act list
would bar her from working in social services, schools or the NHS,
prevent her from fostering or if she had a child of her own stop
her running a Parent Teacher Association or going on school
trips.

Arthurworrey, who was Victoria’s social worker, is
appealing against the government’s decision to put her on the
Poca list.

Jackson told the tribunal there were seven “barriers to
good practice,” which put her mistakes into context including
inexperience, lack of training, overwork and non-existent
supervision.

He questioned why not one senior manager at Haringey Council had
been placed on the list.

But Philip Coppel, acting for government, said people were only
placed on the list if they were guilty of misconduct, which placed
a child at risk of harm and were unsuitable to work with
children.

He told the tribunal she was guilty of misconduct by failing to
carry out properly her duties as a social worker, leaving Victoria
in a dangerous situation.

He said she was unsuitable to work with children because of her
failure to acknowledge the true nature of her responsibilities and
omissions.