Saturday 21 March 2009

Laming report calls for better training for social workers following Baby P and Victoria Climbie

Full Article: http://www.stopinjusticenow.com/news/archive/2009/march/20/03.htm


In the past decade, Haringey has lost two children in horrific cases of child abuse. ELIZABETH PEARS looks at Lord Laming’s latest report to find out what went wrong In 2001, Lord Laming chaired an inquiry following the death of Victoria Climbie.
Eight-year-old Victoria died after suffering serious abuse while living with her aunt and her boyfriend in a one-bedroom flat in Tottenham in 1999.
She died from malnutrition and at the time of her death, in February 25, 2000, the schoolgirl had endured more than 128 injuries that included burn marks and scars caused by a scabies infection.
The horrific details left the nation in shock and was regarded as one of the worst instances of child abuse in British history.
Following the inquiry led by Lord Laming, it prompted radical reform of child protection laws.
But seven years later, in the same social services department, in a council house just streets away, lightning was set to strike a second time.
On November 23, 2007, a mother from Tottenham, her live-in boyfriend and a lodger, Jason Owen, appeared in court denying the murder of the 17-month-old we know as Baby P.
He had been placed on Haringey Council’s at-risk register and had regular contact with social workers, health visitors and his GP.

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