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Social services who put girl in drug flat ‘not fit for purpose’
Martin Bentham, Home Affairs Editor5 Oct 2009
A social work department which placed a London schoolgirl with a crack dealer before she was murdered was today condemned as “not fit for purpose” in a highly critical official report.
The damning conclusion follows an inquiry into Birmingham social services — ordered after it emerged that eight children it had been responsible for had died in the past four years.
One of the dead children was seven-year-old Toni-Ann Byfield, who was shot dead, along with her “father” Bertram Byfield, at a flat in Kensal
Green by a hitman.
It emerged that the child had been allowed to visit Byfield, who later DNA tests showed was not her real father, by Birmingham social workers even though they knew that he had been
convicted for dealing in crack cocaine three years earlier.
Today's report, compiled by a Birmingham City Council scrutiny committee, heavily criticises the authority's social work department and says that its “current social work model” for children is unfit for purpose.
It says a lack of senior management was a “major risk” and a shortage of experienced staff continued to “hamper progress towards improvement”.
Members of the inquiry committee were also “shocked” at the standard of accommodation at some the council's care homes and found that the screening of child referrals was carried out by “inexperienced staff ”.
Len Clark, who chaired the inquiry team, said: “If we are to make sustainable progress, we must address the underlying issues in our report.”
Birmingham council has apologised for its failures over the Toni-Ann Byfield case.
Reader views (3)
Let's remember that the mother, who brought her over from Jamaica, was not fit for purpose either. We should not be a dumping ground for low-lifes who can't be bothered to care for their children.
- Ab, London, 06/10/2009 08:03
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Birmingham Child Protection Services are not alone in being Not Fit For Purpose.
IDENTIFIED being abused, at risk children, up and down this country, are being failed to be protected and are having life risking and life ruining decisions being made for them within a child protection policy and a system which is not working and which is not workable by those who try so hard to make a difference.
Those of us who have 'seen' the abuse of children and who have had no choice but to make a child abuse report have 'observed' the aspects of 'the system' which are failing, in so many cases.
Our EXPERIIENCE must be EXAMINED and the findings used as part of A GOVERNMENT LEAD EFFORT which must surely be going to be made NOW to put the protection of children back into child protection in practice.
If things are enabled to continue, as they are now, the children will soon have NO child protection ability to come to, at all !
- Darnthesafetynet, London W11 1NR, 06/10/2009 06:46
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It is rare that the top people are sued and sacked. Why can't we copy models of social care etc. in Scandanavia and Germany holland etc? Nothing will change in Broken Britain - it is the same with the police, councils, NHS schools asbos councils generally.
- Sandi Dunn, London, 05/10/2009 17:01
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