Baby P case puts off social workers

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Research showed two out of three councils were struggling to recruit children's social workers even before the horrific details of the little boy's death came to light.

Now public sector leaders are voicing grave worries that the angry public backlash over failings in the Baby P case could inadvertently harm the most vulnerable youngsters.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said it could lead to people who might have considered a career in child protection thinking again. This would worsen ongoing problems with recruitment and retention, leaving "serious gaps in the safety net", it said.

Ian Johnston, chief executive of the British Association of Social Workers, said the reaction to Baby P's death "might just be the straw that breaks the camel's back".

"It's quite worrying, the thought that you might be vilified by the entire nation. No other profession has to put up with that," he added.

The shocking facts of the Baby P case led to an outpouring of public grief and fury, and sparked major Government reviews of child protection services.

The 17-month-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, suffered more than 50 injuries at the hands of his abusive mother, her boyfriend and their lodger. When he died in a blood-spattered cot in August last year he had eight fractured ribs, a broken back and had swallowed one of his teeth after being struck in the mouth.

It emerged during a trial at the Old Bailey that Baby P had been on the child protection register for eight months before his death. Over this period social workers, doctors and police made 60 visits to the toddler and his family, but missed the chance to save his life by taking him into care.

The council involved - Haringey in north London - was the same one criticised for not preventing the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie in 2000. A survey carried out between July and September this year found local authorities had more difficulty recruiting and retaining children's social workers than any other group of employees.