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Minister orders major review of law on children at risk
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor17.11.08
A SWEEPING review into the legal barriers preventing children being taken into care was launched today in the wake of the Baby P case.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls announced that he was asking child safety expert Lord Laming to look into how the law could be changed to better protect children at risk of abuse.
Unveiling the terms of the nationwide inquiry, Mr Balls said he wanted to see whether the correct balance was being struck between following procedure and the needs of a child.
He also ordered Lord Laming, who was in charge of the inquiry into Victoria Climbié, to look at whether it was proper for social services chiefs to be allowed to sit on "safeguarding" boards scrutinising council conduct.
Mr Balls's announcement came as a fellow minister whose constituency covers Haringey today warned that staff could be sacked at the council over the death of the 17-month-old boy.
Tottenham MP and Skills Minister David Lammy told Radio 4's World at One programme: "Once the inquiry is complete, if there are systematic failures then heads will have to roll."
In a letter to Lord Laming, Mr Balls said he wanted to uncover "the key barriers, including in the legal process, that may impede efficient and effective work with children".
Mr Balls also signalled that staff could be fired at the council. "I will not hesitate to act on the findings of what went wrong at Haringey," he said.
Haringey has also come under fire because its children's services director Sharon Shoesmith sat on the local children's safeguarding board which was meant to monitor her own department.
Reader views (1)
Ed Balls says that he will act on the advice of Lord Laming to prevent further child abuse. Poor Baby P we now learn was known by police and social workers to be at serious risk. It doesn't need a genius to realise that those people on the ground who asked for the baby to be removed from the mother should have been listened to. The mother and her evil cohorts must have thought they had carte blanche since they knew that social workers, police and hospitals all knew what was happening to him but he was returned to her time and time again. Who on earth sanctioned his return? We were promised after the death of Victoria Climbie that this would never happen again. No more promises please just action. The child must have priority and I would like to see just one non accidental injury a reason for a child to be put into care. Which ever party that passes legislation that uses common sense to prevent any other children suffering in this way will get my vote at the next election.
- Monique Addinall, Coulsdon England
