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Sacked: the chief who failed Baby P
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor02.12.08
The social services chief who refused to quit over Baby P last month has been sacked by Children's Minister Ed Balls.
Sharon Shoesmith was stripped of her £100,000-a-year post after a "devastating" report found she had failed in her statutory duty to protect children.
The council's Labour leader George Meehan and cabinet member for children Liz Santry both quit.
Ms Shoesmith was removed from her post as Haringey council children's director when Mr Balls used legal powers to intervene directly.
He acted swiftly after he received a new inspectors' report into Haringey's handling of the Baby P case and its wider failures to serve children and parents. The 17-month-old boy died in his cot at his north London home last year after suffering abuse and neglect at the hands of his mother and two men. Today's report, by Ofsted, the Healthcare Commission and Inspectorate of Constabulary, found a catalogue of failings from front-line to management.
It also found that hospitals, police and even inspectors themselves had all failed to review properly the death of Baby P.
Mr Balls refused to grant a new public inquiry into the case, claiming that he wanted "to act now" rather than wait for a lengthy new investigation.
But the minister did announce that every council would now have to learn the lessons of the tragedy and all NHS trusts will be asked to review their child protection policies.
Under rarely-used powers, Mr Balls directed the council to remove Ms Shoesmith and install Hampshire county council's director of children's services, John Coughlan, in her place.
Mr Coughlan was seconded to Haringey last month to oversee children's services in the wake of the Baby P trial.
A new chair of the council's safeguarding board, which was meant to scrutinise its staff, was also appointed. Graham Badman will start work next week on a brand new "serious case review" of the toddler's case.
Mr Balls stressed that one of the most worrying findings of the report was that children were still being put at risk in Haringey.
He said that the council failed to allow children suspected of being abused to give evidence on their own in private. It was crucial that younsgters were "properly heard and able to speak up without fear", he said.
The minister said that social workers were often "unsung heroes", but stressed: "They must also be accountable for the decisions and when things go badly wrong people want to know why and what can be done about it."
Ms Shoesmith came under fire last month when she initially refused to apologise for the death of the child.
There were fears that Ms Shoesmith, 55, was set to walk away with a six-figure severance package including a pay-off and a "gold-plated" pension deal.
But Mr Balls said he would be "astonished" if she received any compensation for losing her job.
Ofsted have been asked to review the progress made by Haringey and to report to Mr Balls again next June.
Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, Lynne Featherstone, said: "The thing that gets me is I can not understand why we have to wait until June until the council is effectively put into special measures.
"We don't need more reports. That department needs looking after now."
Council Robert Gorrie, leader of the Lib-Dem opposition in the borough, said: "The report is absolutely devastating."
Reader views (60)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
And no doubt when we are supplied with evidence of what Shoesmith did or ommitted to do in relation to the Baby P then we will be in a position to decide whether the sacking has been fair or not
In the meantime we have Ed Balls' "judgement" to rely on - hardly a reliable indicator of certainty, other than as the windsock of this week's tabloid political opinion
I am sure there are plenty of votes in sacking Shoesmith Ed - go with it mate
- Bruno, Cumnock
She has not been sacked; she has not 'fallen on her sword'. She has been dragged, kicking and screaming from her well paid appointment to who knows what other task (or perhaps enforced leave)? But without her pay being reduced. And if it is we shall see her taking her employers to an Industrial Tribunal or at least threatening to. So she will get her pay-off so that Haringey Council can avoid further effort or embarrassment. Its called employment legislation and 'best practice' and we voted for it in 1997.
- Peter Haldane, London
The sacking don't go high enough, why has 'Balls by name' still got his job.
- Frank, Home Counties, England
Public servant sacked for bad management, this means big reward, new job no guilt. no wonder the pound is collapsing if this is how public servants set example. they shoud be sacked and no pay and forfiet benefits such as pension which my taxes pay for. public service more like buddy service lets start setting real examples with real punishments for failure especially in this area of bad management.
- Danny, London
Well, the woman has fallen on her sword.
Wonder how the UK will get on for social workers in the future. They are obviously viewed as less than a garbage collector by the media and the public.
- Dee, NZ
This woman, has failed in her statutory duties to protect children, not least of all Baby P.
How many other children are yet to be heard about? May we have an amnesty reporting similar cases please?
She has not resigned because, I believe, she is looking for a big pay-out. Under this government, she will surely get it, at the expense of decent tax-payers.
Shame on her.
- Dudley, Dorking
Please please please tell me that this waste of space woman is not going to get a penny when she is shown the door. She is a totally useless, negligent,arrogant failure and should never ever have a responsible job again or any other job for that matter that brings her into contact with another human being.Can she not be charged, found guilty and sent to prison?
- Marina, East Anglia
My 6 year old has better common sense and morals than these people on hearing about Little Baby P she said I would have just taken him out of that place mummy and away from them, then he would still be alive today, they must have been able to see how hurt he was..... well evidently not...... do these people actually have children of their own? If so would they think it acceptable for their child to be living in such conditions? If that woman had any morals she would donate any pay off she gets to help children that every day experience this sort of torture from people that can supposedly care for them correctly..... according to social services......
- Chrissy, London
If this woman does receive a large pay out, I hope that someone there in the UK, sue-s her axx or takes her to court in a criminal manner. It can be done and I am sure there are leagal people who would take that action for free.
- Jaberwokie3, switzerland
Shameless, arogant, incompetent, there should be a further inquiery.
- Edith Cebla, London
Suspended thats a laugh she shout be sacked on the spot with no pay. So how much is the golden goodbye going to cost us.
Should the chief exec of the Council not also be sacked?
- Hunsa, Ilford, Uk
no dount she will come away with 6million pay out under the brown gang you can,t loose can you god bless tony blair and all who sail with him
- G.Stocker, islington london
She's still on full pay ....
- Anglo, Sussex UK
The involved Labor and Libdem people should be fired without pay. And they do not deserve any free pension!!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Shoesmith should remain entitled to a pension at 60 but she should not benefit from an enhanced 'early retirement' package and certainly not to compensation for losing her job.
- Herbert, London
About time. Perhaps now we can have a wholesale clearout of all the dead wood occupying positions within Haringey Council. Never have I experienced such a shoddy set of incompetants running a local authority as Haringey Council. No department there seems immune from spineless mismanagement. Look at their parking situation. They are the most enthusiastic when it comes to going after the little guy who parks his car for 5 minutes on an almost deserted side street. But when it comes to relentless illegal parking at the end of Wightman Road, a stone's throw away really from the civic offices, the council prefers to look the other way and tolerate daily illegality on a big scale. Just about sums up this rotten borough. The sooner the borough is shut down and neighbouring boroughs expanded to fill up the empty space, the better for us all.
- Richard, Haringey, London, UK
The Secretary of State didn't go far enough, he should have ensured the whole top tier went in resignation or sacking. I just watched SKY News live from Haringey Council explaining their "problems". The acting chairwoman and Chief Executive who were not removed are the problem. The new team starting with immediate effect I am sure don't want these two individuals remaining on the books whether elected or not. It is their fault indirectly that Baby P died through lack lustre leadership.
- Mike, Ilkley, England
My only concern is that sharon shoemith does not walk away with the benefits that it is reported she may be getting. That would be the final insult to the public. Summary dismissal has always been the answer. The double insult was wen she tried to provide graphs and figures to say how successful the council had been and the rest.It is exactly the experience with advertising when you complain that the advertisement you spent a fortune putting had no result, the reply always being 'well all the others were happy". A poor example I know but an example of her behaviour.
- Peter Ellis, Bushey herts England
A good result so far. I hope there is no fat pay off. This woman and her accomplicies should not be allowed to work in a senior position again. In this special case Balls should fire her directly and not leave it to the Council. Any chance of criminal proceedings for negligence and aiding the death of an innocen child?
- Adrian, paris, france
FINALLY!
This women has no shame, the decent thing to do would have been to resign immediatly, at last she has been sacked!!! I'm hoping and assuming this is with no pay off...
Lets hope the council appoint someone who believes they can stop children being killed, as it is their job to protect children and for Shoesmith to say The very sad fact is that we can't stop people who are determined to kill children." is riduculas!
- Rachel, London
part of the problem is that there are too many councils in london; which means there are not enough good people to run vital services. but the british people are notoriously disinterested when it comes to public administration and exercising their consumer rights. which is why organisations - both public sector and private sector - treat us so badly -- and get away with it.
- Josh, london
I'm surprised it's taken so long. I live in Haringey and know people who work for the council (although not in child protection), and from what they say, public sector employees here don't have the same job security they used to have - albeit still cushy compared to those of us in the private sector. I understand that the MO is usually to "restructure", then make everyone apply for a fewer number of their own, or altered, job grades.
Blimey, that earlier poster from Glasgow's on a bit of an anti-London rant, though, innit? I don't suppose he sullies himself with visits to the capital very often...
- Karli, Tottenham, London
I have lived in Haringey for over 25 years, and it is not just the Children's Services department which is a mess.
The whole Council is totally inefficient in most resident's opinions. The management staff are never available, and you have to contact the CEO's office to get anything done. These few people are the only council employees who do a good day's work.
Haringey levies an exorbitant tax on residents (many of whom never pay, and get away with it) much of which is spent on high profile projects which provide the icing on an otherwise rotten cake.
In many resident's opinions, the culture in Haringey Council is very much one of 'ticking boxes' and ignoring the real problems. Personally, i am not surprised that this tragedy has happened here, and until the complacent insiders in the council who have been there for too long, creating personal empires are rooted out, nothing will change.
- J Smith, Haringey, London
They'll pay her tens of thousands.
- Neil, london uk, Airstrip ONE .
Dutchy Holland, you seem to miss the fact that the Labour party is lead by a merry band of Scotsmen (what a great export) and that Glasgow is one of the poorest cities in the UK - what a great job your local authority does. And this despite the huge amounts of subsidy that us "thick, poorly educated Londoners" and English in general have to pay in taxes to ensure that you get your free education, free prescriptions...do I need to go on.
- Jl, London
@ Dutchy Holland, glasgow: the 'incredibly annoying' way that you 'randomly use speechmarks', especially when 'attempting' to portray your home people as any more 'educated' than those from the south, makes for such 'painful reading' as to render any 'point' you were 'attempting' to make, 'entirely moot'.
Why try to turn a genuinely tragic event into some bitter north v south rant. 'Very inappropriate'.
- Gp, 'London'
There's a lot more haringey council staff that should be sacked - particularly in housing, help desk and tax dept. Just as rude and incompotent.
- M, london
Finally a 'third world capital city' with typically poor quality 'London based' employees has been exposed as having a 'not fit for purpose' local authority. The fact that a 17 month old child has had to be sacrificed to expose this shambles in a 'Labour controlled' council shows what a charade London is as a 'capital city'.
May I suggest that the entire staff of 'senior council officer's' are suspended and properly educated, qualified staff from Scotland and the North of England are drafted in to run the council services. The country is 'fed up' with 'thick, poorly educated Londoners' being seen as competent to run anything. London is a disgrace as a capital city!!! no wonder the world looks upon the UK as a 'busted flush' good only for the 'handout's given to the undeserving'. To think that a significant number of 'local headteachers' signed a letter of support for the 'sacked' head of childrens services shows what sort of education the 'poor souls of Haringey' can expect to receive in the future !!!
- Dutchy Holland, glasgow
We all have to stop abuse and negligence towards our children due to their vulnerability. Henceforth, no mercy to people in authority who are responsible for this shameful acts.
- Ilyas Orhanli, England
"One Haringey official today warned that Ms Shoesmith would be "difficult and expensive to get rid of".!
If Shoesmith has broken the terms of her contract concerning gross misconduct and bringing the Council into disrepect then she can be summarily dismissed without compensation.
- Liphookian, Liphook
i applaud E Balls for at last having the guts to do the right in my opinion he didnt go far enough he should have sacked the lot and none of them should get a penny in compensation
- Dave Parsons, Midhurst West sussex
Good. The sacking of Sharon Shoesmith is a start. Her behaviour and attitude was unforgiveable, especially her attempt at deflecting blame, and I hope she never works in a position of this responsibility again. I am amazed that she will probably receive a payoff when a child has died.
- Toto, London
Mr Balls said that he has 'not sacked anyone'. He has instructed Haringey Council to 'remove Ms Shoesmith from her responsibilities . . etc.' So will she be sacked or not ? Or will Haringey plead the difficulty of terminating her employmentt in the context of current employment legislation and give her a job in another area ?
- Peter Haldane, London
Sauniang Try working in a supermarket filling shelves For real low pay and getting the abuse we get. Yes I would do a socail workers job for their pay and hours. But we are just given the chance.
- Dave Smith, Croydon
What a miserable state of affairs. Sharon Shoesmith should be ashamed, not only of her department's failings but of her barefaced attempt at fobbing off responsibility. It takes energy and ambition to climb the greasy pole to her level. She should have applied some of it to her standards of work, not just to gaining promotion and covering her behind. She's been raking it in for her incompetence, she certainly shouldn't receive a bonanza for leaving.
- Isabella, london
Excellent news: is there now some chance of sacking Waltham Forest's leader, who signed off hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money without tender or conract documents, diverted funds for poverty relief to Olympic promotions, cannot account for where the money has gone, but refuses to resign?
Amazingly, while four separate fraud investigations are going on in the Borough, the Audit Commission awarded it four stars! (Our last two Chief Executives have been members of the Audit Commission, by amazing coincidence; a senior departmental head is a former Labour leader of the Council. There's absolutely nothing corrupt about any of this, obviously)
- Mdj, Leyton, e10 london
This is a disgrace. No-one ever does an abysmal job as a senior manager in the private sector and then walks off with a golden handshake despite incompetence in their chosen field... oh, my mistake, they regularly do.
This national outpouring of resentment against ALL child welfare workers will result in even fewer people going into such jobs and more things like this happening. Would anyone on this Forum become a social workers? I doubt it. I know I would not. All the people sitting beyond desk jobs selling at a corporation selling paperclips or insurance should have a word this themselves before passing judgement on others.
- Saunaing Tic Gill, LONDON
This is the hypocrite public sector they try to tell us that they are low paid and do not get rewarded asin the private sector.Then walk away from trouble with a golden handshake and a gold plated pension.
- Dave Smith, Croydon
Poor performance should be penalised and not rewarded. the irony is that Ms Shoesmith will probably walk into another public sector job as if nothing happened. Such is the culture of institutionalised incompetence and contempt for the taxpayer in our public sector.
- Peter, Pirot, Serbia
While these individuals have clearly failed in their responsibility towards protecting the children of Haringey, it should not be forgotten that it was Baby P's mother, boyfriend and lodger who murdered him.
We must not forget that nor should we turn this into a witch hunt for 'someone to blame'.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
pay off? what like ian blair? paid for failure?
sounds like same old labour
- Jill, Hackney
She will get another job in another council somewhere. They always do.
- Grim Reaper, Hell
Don't count the cost of children's lives in money, be grateful she is gone. The answer is in accountability. We the voters must be more demanding.
- Bj, London
Doesnt matter how much money is given to Sharon Shoesmith. The fact that she cant take responsibility and has attemopted to pass the buck shows that she is the type of industrial psychopath that inhabits council and government jobs. Shoesmith will be hounded for years to come by questions and accusations. Though i do think its a bit harsh to criticise Ward. She did tell her bosses to get the child take away but was ignored by her bossess. Why didnt they listen to her and the police?
- Sebastian, Brent
In the private sector these incompetents would have have been sacked on the spot without compensation. Is there something to notice they are call women! It's a safe bet none of the four would survive 10 minutes at similar salaried jobs in the private sector
- Trevn, Abu Dhabi
Can someone tell me why no-one is held accountable for anything these days? If Sharon Shoesmith nees to resign, and undoubltbly she does, why reward her? If you expect a six figure annual salary you are supposed to work for it not make a hash of the whole thing and make pathetic arrogant remarks at the end of it all. Get rid of them all. A clean sweep might teach others a valuable lesson. You cannot mess with children's lives. The absolute torment this child must have suffered is intolerable.
- Claire, Windsor Berkshire
I cannot believe what I have just read about about Sharon Shoesmith and her suggested Payoff and Gold Plated Pension.
She has been proved to be utterly incompetant in doing her job. I job I add that was paid for from the Public purse to the tune of £100,000. Why I ask should her failure be rewarded, she should have been sacked within daysof the hearing about this poor child and what suffering he endured.
I get really infuriated when I hear that another bloody Civil Servant is being paid vast sums to recompence them for failing to do their bloody job. God help Britain is all I can say. Get rid of this woman and all those like her and replace them with those who can produce the goods.
- Chris Satchwell, Swindon UK
Isn't it time the Press exercised its freedom of speech, and published pictures of these odious monsters so that members of the public could personally show their disgust at their evil behaviour.
- L.Taubler, London / UK
It is neither typical of nor exclusive to the public sector. Think of all the private companies where the bosses get bonuses for failing. Think of the last few England football managers. If Haringey pay Shoesmith off, it will be to shut her up rather than anything else. If they were convinced she had done a bad job, and had no dirt on them, they could sack her (after a fair investigation, naturally).
- Austen, London
Colin - If payouts are given in the private sector, they come at the expense of the shareholdrs, who can chose to buy of sell the shares. In the public sector, this money comes from out taxes, over which I as a taxpayer have no control.
- Jeremy E, London
Only in the public sector could this happen, in fact it's exactly what I and countless others expected.
- P I Staker, London
Only in the public sector could this happen, in fact it's exactly what I and countless others expected.
- P I Staker, London
This is typical of public sector, pay off people to go away and disapear quietly. There won't be any hiding place for any of these rotten individuals. I hope they never become employed anywhere, ever again.
- Triffidqueen, Desk in London
well said Simon. Let her sue - constructive or wrongful dismissal carries a maximum payout of about 60k and is not a done deal - as a taxpayer I'd rather risk that than give her a 6 figure reward for failure.
- Zady, London
So Jeremy,and Simon,are you saying that huge payout's are not handed out to head's in the private sector,as a thankyou for failure?
- Colin, Bristol
Does this woman have no shame! Or any who let this little boy return to the "Evil Monsters" who were laughing at the whole system and getting paid the benefits while this child suffered!
Edd Balls and his party put this system in place and now all heads should roll from the top onto the carpet because these people did not do the job they were getting paid to do!!
She should think herself lucky she has not been locked up with the "Mother" who is allowed a lawyer to fight a cliam for her even though she murdered her son by neglect!
The whole system is mad! Sharon Shoesmith should be fined a large amount of money for being totally incompetent at her job and to never be able to work in a department where children are involved.......Ever!
She was highly paid for a job where serious and quick moves have to be made for the sake of saving lives..........She failed!
This little chap did not have anyone fighting for him in his MONTHS of need.......The whole system failed him!
She should be prosecuted for this neglect!!
How can she live with herself??? I hope you're reading this Edd Balls!
- Valerie, Hanworth Middlesex
All of these people should have been sacked weeks ago and none of them should be given a penny of taxpayers money. The gross negligence has cost the life of an innocent child and yet none of these people have had the decency to resign. I cannot believe Henry is still in working for Haringey after the Climbie tragedy? Balls had better live up to his name and sack this sorry bunch of incompetents before any other children die in their 'care' Nothing will bring back that poor baby but these 4 useless losers should be banned from ever having anything to with chidren ever again.
- Ed, Hants
It reads to me like those 'professionals' may have said to themselves 'oh this is how some people live' and gambled that the little boy would somwehow survive it regardless. They saw a set of 'lifestyle choices' before them (an unkempt house etc)and thought they better not interfere. It doesn't take a genius to figure out these things can be indicative of something more dangerous going on.
I can not see any other explanation for why a child would be on an at risk register, make numerous hospital visits and be visited twice weekly by social workers if 'no one was aware' (as many are bleating right now) that he was in realy and present danger.
People who can not act upon these things CAN NOT be trusted to work with children.
As for Shoemsith, the woman ought to be sacked and offered no severance pay at all for the utter contempt she's shown the general public.
People were confused and horrified by what they were hearing - they needed some reassurances, some explanations.
She decided to wave graphs around and congratulate her own team of obvious incompetents, treating all of us like fools and coming across as the type of steely inhuman career chaser we don't need as the face of 'child protection'.
She and her team are responsible for this child's death.
We would rightly blame the fire crew who stood back eating sandwiches and allowed a fire to develop from a spark to a roaring inferno.
I can't see any difference.
Let's hope we get the right outcome.
- Sandie Smith, grangemouth
If this was the private sector you would be sacked and possibly subject to criminal prosecution for negligence but here in Labourworld its a fat payoff and another job around the corner and people are surprised that many in the state sector do not take responsibility for their actions.....
- Simon, London
Once again in the public sector failure and incompentence looks like it will be rewarded again at taxpayers expence. Let her sue - she should not get a penney and hang her head in shame.
- Jeremy E, London
