Council's rating plummets in wake of Baby P case

12:45pm Thursday 5th March 2009

By Elizabeth Pears

In the week that murdered toddler Baby P should have been celebrating his third birthday, Haringey Council has received a damning verdict from the body assessing its services.

The 17-month-old, who would have turned three last Sunday, was placed on the social services “at-risk” register in December 2007 after doctors found unexplained bruising on his body.

He was visited by social workers a number of times but they failed to spot that the he was in serious danger.

Now the Audit Commission has dramatically reduced the council’s star rating, the system by which council performance is judged.

The rating has been slashed from an “improving well” three stars last year, to a “not improving adequately” one star this year.

The report noted: “The council’s failure in its key priority to safeguard children has been publicly reported and it currently delivers an inadequate service for children and young people.

“There was insufficient strategic leadership and management oversight of the safeguarding of children and young people and a lack of rigorous arrangements for the management of performance.”

Council leader George Meehan and Liz Santry, former cabinet member for children and young people, both resigned from their posts because of the systematic failures regarding Baby P’s case.

And Sharon Shoesmith, the director of children’s services, was sacked from her £100,000-a-year post in December.

The report added it was “too early to tell” whether the changes would lead to improvement.

Miss Kober, the new council leader said: “This rating clearly reflects the serious problems identified with our children's services at the end of last year.

“We accept that things went badly wrong with child protection. We are committed to making things right.

“We need to make major changes in this area. We have started that process, and I am determined to drive through the changes needed.”

Because children’s services scores are weighted it affected the overall score, but this does not mean other services were not improving and doing well, Ms Kober added.

Councillor Robert Gorrie, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader, said: “We have continually challenged the council’s leadership on its sleep-like affliction to tick the right boxes but neglect their key responsibility — to deliver for the people of Haringey.

“I very much hope this new assessment marks a watershed in this failed regime.”

Elsewhere in the report, the council was praised for improving education standard and its adult social care, of previous concern, is now good.

It was also rated full marks for culture which includes libraries, leisure and recreation services. Value for money was awarded 3 out of 4.

But the report did warn that there was “considerable challenge” to improve quickly in areas including teen pregnancy, the environment and homelessness.

Figures, published last week, found Haringey’s teenage pregnancy rates was one of the highest in the capital.

At the time of his death in August 2008, Baby P had suffered a catalogue of injuries including a broken spine, eight fractured ribs and a missing tooth. This was later found in his stomach.

His mother, a 27-year-old from Tottenham, her boyfriend, 32, and lodger Jason Owen, 36, of Bromley were found guilty of causing or allowing the death of a child and will be sentenced later this year.

Hornsey and Wood Green MP Lynne Featherstone said questions still needed to be answered as to how the Audit Commission gave the council a good rating last year.

The Lib Dem MP said: “We can only regret the Audit Commission did not reach these conclusions sooner.

“Early indications of the failings in Children Service might have helped prevent the well publicised tragedy that followed.”

The council has now set up a Quality Outcomes Board consisting of senior figures from other boroughs to act as advisors as it tries to improve its services over the next twelve months.

It is hoped this will help repair the council’s damaged reputation in the wake of the Baby P tragedy and the murder of Victoria Climbie, killed by her aunt Marie-Therese Kouao and boyfriend Carl Manning in 2001.

Eight-year-old Victoria was also on the child protection register at the time of her death.