Sacked Haringey children's director gives evidence on child protection (From Haringey Independent)

Sacked Haringey children's director gives evidence on child protection

12:35pm Friday 10th September 2010 in News By Elizabeth Pears

Haringey Council's children's services director Sharon Shoesmith - sacked over failures in her department's handling of the Baby P case - will give evidence on child protection at an MPs inquiry.

Ms Shoesmith, controversially sacked in the wake of Peter Connelly's tragic death, will appear before a meeting of the education select committee next week to examine current issues in child protection.

The education professional, credited with the turnaround in Haringey's schools, became the centre of public and media hysteria after details of the death of 17-month-old Baby Peter in August 2007.

Baby Peter was on Haringey Council's children at-risk register and had been the subject of 60 visits by health visitors, police and social workers whose failings prevented the severity of his situation being brought to light.

Former children's secretary Ed Balls removed Shoesmith from her post in December 2008, and is currently considering an appeal against a court ruling in April which rejected her application for a judicial review.

The select committee will examine current issues in safeguarding, including accountability, as well as the policy direction of the new Government.

It will deal with issues inlcuding record numbers of children and young people taken into care in the two years since the gruesome details of Baby Peter's death first emerged.

Others giving evidence at Wednesday's meeting include the minister responsbible for children's social care, Tim Loughton, and children's commissioner Maggie Atkinson.