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Baby P: four sacked without any payoffs
Peter Dominiczak30.04.09
Four social care workers sacked over a string of alleged failures which lead to the death of Baby P will get no compensation pay-offs, it emerged today.
Three council managers and one social worker were sacked by Haringey council for allegedly failing to prevent the death of the 17-month-old boy, who died in the north London borough at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger in August, 2007.
Two of the staff had been suspended on full pay for almost five months before being dismissed by the council, which was heavily criticised for allegedly failing to protect the baby despite him being on their at-risk register.
Baby P suffered more than 50 injuries despite receiving 60 visits from social workers, doctors and police over an eight-month period.
Deputy director of children and families Cecilia Hitchen, who earned £80,000 a year, team manager Gillie Christou, head of safeguarding services Clive Preece and social worker Maria Ward were all dismissed last night by the council.
A Haringey spokesman said Ms Hitchen was sacked for "loss of trust and confidence" following a damning Ofsted report in December last year which found "fundamental failings" in the way vulnerable children were dealt with.
Mr Preece was dismissed for allegedly rejecting a plea for Baby P to be taken away from his home and placed in care, after his mother was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty.
Haringey, which was blamed for not stopping the torture and murder of Victoria Climbié in 2000, also sacked Maria Ward, the social worker in charge of Baby P's case, who visited his home 10 times but allegedly failed to notice that bruises caused by physical abuse were being hidden by chocolate and nappy cream. Former team manager Gillie Christou was fired for approving the decision to return Baby P home on the mistaken understanding that a friend of his mother's was living there.
The two women were dismissed for alleged gross misconduct, having both remained at work since the scandal was disclosed in November.
A council source said: "Now they have gone and it is a massive relief. Everyone is looking forward to moving on and making sure this will never happen again. All of these people failed in their job."
Sharon Shoesmith, who was head of children's services at Haringey council at the time of Baby P's death, was sacked in December last year. She became the focus of public anger at Baby P's death when she refused to accept responsibility for her department's shortcomings and has launched a claim for unfair dismissal.
Inspectors found a string of failures in Haringey's children's services. Council leader George Meehan and cabinet member for children and young people Liz Santry were prompted to resign.
Two doctors, GP Dr Jerome Ikwueke and Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat, who treated Baby P, have been suspended from practice by the General Medical Council.
Reader views (14)
Thank you to those who supported my comments. For the benefit of those who are trying to defend the 'caring profession', please remember I have been a victim of it. When a parent is sick, ill, twisted, demented, drugged, whatever, and is abusing their children and Social Services, GPs, etc KNOW about it and blatantly disengage, turn a blind eye, or fail to act when it is their job (as happened in my case) then that is wilful, determined, and constructive failure to prevent abuse by a professional who is sane and trained. In my opinion that is WORSE than what a person who is too sick to know what they are doing has done. It is an abuse of authority on the highest possible level.
- Real, London
I am pleased that at least some people have been called to account for their part in this terrible case. However, I am sick and tired of hearing about too much work, not enough money etc.etc.in the public sector. Pleeeeaaase Stop your moaning! How the heck do you think we in the private sector work? We too have budgets, case work, and demands to be at work all hours of the day, with no guaranteed salaries or pensions. Our negligence is dealt with swiftly and harshly. Sacked! End of. The sooner we realise that every person is responsible for their own job, the better. We have perfected the art of blaming everything but the key people responsible, for everything. It is precisely that attitude that has got us where we are today.
- Maya, London
This whole highly emotive debate has meant that many people have forgotten the fundamentals. 1. Baby P was killed by those close to him 2. Whilst professionals did undoubtedly make mistakes they only saw him on short isolated ocassions and this sort of stuff can be hidden by parents. 3. What about family, friends, neighbours - who must have seen and heard things going on 4. I wonder how many of the people making the "sack em - no pension" comments would feel the same if it was them who had made the mistakes 5. Vilifying public sector workers is common currency - but unless you work in that environment you don't fully understand the pressures/demands/barriers ie lack of funding, high caseload.
- Linda, London
Good point Suusi.
Disillusioned, what has banking or bankers to do with this exactly? You think these muppets should have received monetary reward for what they did?
The two spheres and arguments appear as detatched as you.
- Dave, London
Sacked with no pay off, bet they still get their tax payer funded pensions though. It is called socialism, fail all every level of your 'profession' or job and still pick up a reward.
- Socialist Worker, London
Real London, you spoke exactly what the country is thinking and God will look after Baby P forever.
- Joe, Swanley Kent
Spot on, Real of London! I could not have put it better myself. Agree with everything you've said.
- Napoleon Blownaparte, London
No, what they did what clearly NOT worse than what the parents did. They deserved to be sacked but they did not abuse this child and had they been doing their job properly and realised what was going on they would have removed the child from the "care" of their parents. They just made concluded that the child was not in serious danger which was a terrible decision but is different to saying they knew what was happening and ignored it.
They were NOT found to have believed child abuse was going on and ignored it. They would have been prosecuted in the criminal courts if that had been the case.
The people who say "they" [these social workers] are worse than the parents are the reason why there is such a shortage of social workers.
- Saunaing Tic Gill, London
I understand that Baby P is becoming one of the favourite names for kids, along with Sarah, Simon, Tracey and Kevin.
- Michael, Kensington, UK
Hey what about the sentencing of the scum who failed to prevent the death of Baby P.
Where is the Justice for Baby P
- Suusi M-B, Harpenden, Herts
Fantastic news - no pay offs.
Hope they lost their pension benefits as well. And to think that Boris bless him, wants to give Councils more power!
- Mike, London England
THANK YOU, "REAL, LONDON".
I DOUBT ANYONE COULD PUT IT BETTER THAN YOU,
R.I.P BABY P.
- Radz, Expat!, Copenhagen , Denmark.
So the social workers fail & get no pay-offs but immoral bankers fail & get huge pensions & rewards. MPs tell outright lies & get away with it..talk about 'one rule for one'...
- Disillusioned, Essex
May you all rot in hell and I hope you have your 'keyworkers' housing and other perks taken off you too. Your colleagues are so happy that they can do a proper job now and take care of children without your sick negligence and sabotage. What you did was WORSE than what the parents did because you have specialist training and are meant to be educated, caring people. Those people who tortured and murdered Baby P are very very sick in the head, what is your excuse? Shame on all of you I hope you can't sleep at night for the rest of eternity.
Dr Sabah Al-Zayyat MUST be sacked too!!! I thought she already was? From what I understand, one of the GPs is the only person in this whole mess who tried to flag up the problems and was then scapegoated by all of the aforementioned. If this is true, and Dr Jerome Ikwueke did try to help then he must be the only decent person amongst a sick system, if it isn't, then get rid of him too and NOW before they get paid more money.
Myself and my siblings were failed by the so called care system and I have direct knowledge that these people turn a blind eye and constructively fail to engage with anything that might cause them to have to do any work or follow ups or interventions. Their time is over and long may it stay that way.
RIP Baby P 
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- Real, London
