Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrats in Haringey have expressed further serious concerns thatthe lessons of the Victoria Climbie case have not been learned by Haringey social services and other agencies involved in serious child protection cases.

Liberal Democrat Social Services Spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken wrote to Haringey Council in December last year demanding answers about a serious case involving a nine year old boy who was branded by his father with an iron.

It emerged in court that the father believed the boy to be possessed by the devil having taken him to an evangelical Church in Finsbury Park.

Last week, the Council was forced to reveal a Part 8 Serious Case Reviewabout the accidental scalding of a two year old boy which revealed seriousshortcomings in social services and NHS handling of child protection whichechoed the language of Lord Laming’s criticisms in the Climbie Report.

In the hot iron case, the boy’s neighbour took him in and called police.The father was later jailed for what the judge called “a campaign ofcruelty”. In the Victoria Climbie case, Lord Laming examined the role ofan evangelical church in Finsbury Park and a subsequent Charity Commission Report instructed the Church to institute a child protection policy.

It is also unclear which case the SSI and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate ofConstabulary cited in their joint inspection of Haringey Social Servicesin March and June 2003, when they stated that police expressed concernsthat they were not informed of suspected serious abuse of a child.

Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson, Cllr Ron Aitken, comments:

“It appears that there is yet another serious case in addition to that ofVictoria and boy Adam which reveals appalling failures by Haringey SocialServices.

“Lessons have not been learned, and the same people are in charge andrefuse to be held accountable for these failures. Ministers should becalling for their resignations.”