Climbié social worker takes herself off register, vowing never to return to practice

The social worker sacked following the death of Victoria Climbié more than a decade ago has voluntarily removed herself from the register in England.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) met in January to review Lisa Nicola Dawn Arthurworrey’s ongoing registration as a social worker and ruled that she must meet six conditions over the next year if she wished to return to practice.

However, shortly before the hearing, Arthurworrey’s legal representative informed the HCPC that Arthurworrey had decided not to resume a career in social work.

The representative said Arthurworrey wished to submit an application to voluntarily remove herself from the register instead.

A panel of the HCPC’s conduct and competence committee met again on 28 May to consider this application and concluded that there was no public interest case for refusing. Arthurworrey, who did not attend the hearing, is now effectively struck off the register.

Arthurworrey was Victoria’s allocated social worker at Haringey Council from August 1999 until the child’s death in February 2000, aged eight.

The social worker was repeatedly criticised after failings emerged in the trial of Victoria’s carers, Marie-Therese Kouao, and Carl John Manning, who were convicted of Victoria’s murder in 2001. Arthurworrey was dismissed by Haringey Council in November 2002.

But during Lord Laming’s inquiry into the case in January 2003, it emerged that she had not been properly supervised.

When the General Social Care Council (GSCC) launched its social care register in 2005, Arthurworrey fought to be included on it and her registration was finally granted in February 2010, after she agreed to comply with certain conditions.

However, she has not worked as a social worker since 2002.

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