The verdict in the Baby P trial has just been announced. My initial reaction as more and more details come to light is that my horror and sadness turning to anger. How after the Victoria Climbie tragedy can a poor child fall through safety net after safety net? The facts of the case are simply appalling.
Haringey Council should have prevented this death. I refuse to stand by and watch them squirm out of responsibility again. Between Baby P’s death and the trial they have tried their best to misinform, stonewall and bully anyone questioning their role and responsibility.
The Children’s Act was borne out of tragedy in Haringey after the death of Victoria Climbié. Yet eight years after her death the law created to stop this happening again has failed to prevent a similar tragedy in the same borough.
Hundreds of our local children rely on the council, its social workers, its officers and its leaders to protect them from abuse. This is why we need a full independent investigation into why Haringey Council has failed.
Update: huge coverage of this tragedy through the media, including BBC and The Independent.
Lynne Featherstone 
I am terribly sorry and upset that yet again Haringey Social Services has failed to protect an infant who had no one else to protect it.Even more shocking to me is the arrogance and lack of sympathy shown by Sharon Shoesmith of Haringey Social Services, during her TV interview tonight.She was in my opinion, lacking in care, and gave me the distinct impression of protectionism of her and others jobs, and I could find nothing in that interview that gave me any confidence that a tragic situation like baby P could well happen again.I am seperately writing to my MP to ask him to do what he can to have someone taken to task, I am no longer prepared to sit and say nothing
This is absolutley dispicable. How on earth after 60 visits could this to go back into the ‘lion’s den’. The action taken in this case on ALL involved was un-professonal and lacked the care and attention that it needed. This is a prime example of where more effort and time is needed.. . . a helpless baby’s life has been lost to the violence and abuse that it was sbject of which was known about to the people who supposedley are protecting. JOBS DONE BADLY……. JOBS SHOULD BE LOST HERE. HOW ON EARTH CAN THE LIKES OF JONATHON ROSS LOOSE HIS JOB AND THE PEOPLE IN THIS AWFUL CASE NOT. I am deeply upset about this poor baby. PLEASE PLEASE EMPLOY BETTER PEOPLE TO PROTECT THOSE THAT NEED IT, PEOPLE THAT REALLY CARE.
I agree in entirety with the previous contributor. A catalogue of failure culminating in the worrying conclusion, namely that a monster described by the police as a ‘Slob’ was easily able to delude the ‘well trained’ members of Haringey’s elite (sic) SS Dept. Truly awful, beyond shocking but soon to be totally forgotten for the X Factor….
I agree with all the above, I am also writing to my MP. This is absolutely absurd and horrific. Every time I see it on the news the explicit content and descriptions brings my eyes to fill. I have also a 17 month old, how the hell could a little handsome mite who only wants love and to be cared for; got brutally abused and neglected from the day he was born. So many incidents but yet the boy was never saved. If I was the GP I would of rang the police there and then after seeing such injuries to a defenceless baby. Few bumps and bruises – understandable but Broken bones, missing finger nails, tips, paralysis and pure neglect, the list goes on and no one did a thing. It’s appalling! From Government to Haringey Social services all need to be investigated and jobs need to be terminated and even took to the courts and sentenced. His mother failed him and didn’t take the child to numerous of appointments, hiding cuts with chocolate – HELLO!!! BELLS ARE RINGING PEOPLE!! TAKE THESE CHILDREN AWAY AND GIVE THEM LIFE, INVEST MONEY FOR ADOPTION AND LET US TAKE THEM AND LOVE THEM….As a construction manager if I didn’t follow the rules and wasn’t competent at my job I could be sentenced so why the hell can this happen?Please support us on Facebook, Stand together for this boy – it cannot happen again.Group on Facebook – “Baby P should be alive!!”God bless you, you are now in safe hands.
Haringey Labour Councillors should hang their heads in shame. These highly paid Labour Councillors should resign as a mark of respect and decency.This is the second time this has happend under Cllr Meehans watch as the leader he should be the first one to go. The residents of Haringey should kick out this incompident Labour Group at the next election as it will be the only wat we can guarantee the safety of our children.
Not only should the should Haringey Council Officers be brought before the courts but the Haingey Council Labour administration should be as well. No doubt these gutless Labour politicians will sacrifice another lowly officer to save their miserable incompident skins.
How many more Children have to loose their lives under this useless incomident Labour Council.They waste millions of pouns keep the street filthy,their estates overun by rats.The residents of Haringey have been totally let down.we need to kick these Haringey Councillors into the gutter where they belong with the rats and only then we can be sure our childrent will be safe.
It is shocking that a highly pais officer on over £100,000 per year can conduct herself in such a disgraceful manner .It is equally shocking that Cllr Meehan £50000 per year and his cabinet members £40000 per year refuse to take responsibility.The MP featherstone is right to hold these incompident buffoons to account.It is not supprising that the Labour MP David Lammy has stayed quiet on this matter. But then we know birds of a feather flog together. As residents of Haringey we need to get rid of Mr Lammy and his Labour Cronies.Yes we can,and we may then be happy that our children will be safe in the future.
Poor Baby P depended on Harringey Council to save his life,they the Officers and their Political Masters failed in their duty of care.Baby P had the right to life and he was failed by this shameful shower . Both Labour Councillors and Officers should be brought before the courts and put behind bars.It will not bring Baby P back but it may prevent this happening in the future.
It’s happened again. Another child has lost it life in a cruel and horrible way. We’ve had the usual handwringing from the top brass in the borough – shame on you Harringey, how could you let this happen again?Being a fairly normal person, I assumed that most people will behave decently and those who do not, will have their behaviour curtailed by society. How wrong I was! How can it be that we allow a 17 month old child to die in the most awful circumstances, despite being on the child protection register? How can a doctor not spot a broken spine? How can hightly educated professionals not spot that the child’s bruses disappeared when he was apart from his mum for a month, but, hey presto, reappeared when he was returned home? How can 3 adults be so sadistic as to allow this child to be bitten by a dog or to swallow its own tooth or have its top lip torn away from its 17 month old face? Where were the neighbours, the decent local coppers, the health visitors, the staff at social services, the other adults in this childs life when he needed them most?What is most shaming is that it appears that all the work done since the terrible death of Victoria Climbie has not prevented this latest death. How must her parents be feeling?I hope that Haringey will not squirm out of this one and that heads will roll. Otherwise what will be the legacy of this particular childs death, except corporate handwringing and a few formal warnings? palipal
Every time I have to deal with Haringey council, I am amazed at the utter chaos over there. I am lucky in that I am not a vulnerable member of the community, but even having to make enquiries about simple things like council tax – they are just all over the place; they don’t communicate, the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. I also don’t know what I’m paying my money for. The low quality of staff – and especially of management – is of great concern. I think we need to see sackings and resignations of all concerned, then a change of leadership come the next local elections. I’d rather see a Liberal/Green coalition than the current Labour mess.
i agree with all the comments abovei think it is disgracefull and appalling how they can say they assumed the mother was poor parent and did not see abuse…Hello a bad parent is one who burns dinner or forgets meetings etc not thisWhy were no spot checks carried out so they could see child without knowledge of arrival before hand..why was the chocolate not asked to be removed when child looked worse for wear with fingers etc covered…i think the social worker responsible for this should also be prosecuted for the same pathetic charge as the other 3..knowing or causing a death…did she know the child was at risk YES so she is just as culprable..perhaps if they risked prosecution they would be less likely to sweep things under the carpet or ignore i am amazed this child was overlooked for so long surely even if they assumed mother was as they put neglectfull/and child was hyper causing his own injuriesdid they not say after such a long time this is never going to change u have had opportunities time to interveneAlso why is no one asking why the hell the father did not do anything..the last weekend that his child stayed his ear was torn and dripping his ribs were broken by then he had bruises a shaved head WOULD U TAKE UR CHILD BACK .no way would that women get him backi would have demanded answers did he not care eitherThe sentence that these monsters got is a joke the maximum 14 yrs they will be free in 7yrs they could still breed and repeat to another poor kid..they should never be released into society again they dont deserve itthe mother(and i use it loosly) should be made to have her tubes cut so she can never reproduce again before she gets released on her pathetic sentence i hope someone sees these people should never be free EVER
George Meehan should resign as Council Leader- Leader of the Council. Dr Ida O’Donovan should get resign aswell! Sharon Shoesmith should resign, and so should her unprofessional colleagues. The doctor from Saudi Arabia, dismissed from St Ann’s, should get lost aswell. Haringey COUNCIL IS A JOKE!
all those responsible ie social workers and everyone concered in this case should be hung drawn and quartered, how this can happen in this day and age to an innocent baby and go un-noticed is absolutaly disppicable and i pray that those responsible are made to suffer 100 times more than this baby
How can this country allow these monsters to return to society and be released from jail in between 7 and 14years time? They are a danger to society! How can they be released? They should get life imprisonment! Is a life of a baby less of value than that of an adult??? WHY are the brutal murderers of this innocent baby not receiving the highest punishment! The prolonged agony that this little baby went through is heartbreaking and horrific and these people should pay for the rest of their lives. I am shocked that the court feels the murderers should return to live in society after giving them such short prison sentences.
The Saudi doctor should have received 1,000 lashes for breaching her fatwa!!!!!!!!
We are planning a demonstration outside downing street..please see link http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=49178798160&ref=mf
all am gonna say how many more children is this gonna happen to why should kids go through any kind of abuse its sick and evil why are ppl sitting back and allowing this to happen time and time again after the first time people should have sat up and said this aint happening no more no more neglect to kids lets protect them kids arent punchbags they are here to be loved nurtured taught parents getting excited about there first steps first words first day at school emotional the law the socialwork the hospital staff family members who seen this should all be punished they are just as guilty because what normal person could turn a blind eye to a child wae bites broken ribs etc… rip baby p your in amuch better place where youll be loved and no more pain will you have to bare goodnight sweetheart x
I have been in tears since hearing about this.This government is responsible for encouraging these women to have children for the council house and benefits they get.Tony Blair and his human rights act is also to blame.I don’t know how he sleeps at night.I am 55 and unable to get a job.I would be unable to get a job as a social worker because I have not just left university with a degree in media studies.But I would be able to spot if a child was being abused.As for the health professional who saw the child but did not realize the injuries the child had suffered she to should be held to account.All the people involved are murderers.That mother has since had another child we the taxpayers have kept her and will keep paying for her whilst she is in prison while the do gooders fawn all over her with help.My suggestion is that women like this should be steralised so they cannot bring any more children into the world.And the government needs to stop its policiy of rewarding these people with houses and benefits.I will be on the march as I am so upset and angry it is the only way I can vent my anger.As a catholic I believe there is a heaven and will pray that this child is now at peace.But I worry for our civilization as the devil has his people here on earth and that is the labour government and the social services dept at Haringay.Mrs extremely angry
I cannot get onto the facebook site to find out about the demonstration. I’d love to do something, anything. Will someone please leave details on this site so that I can show my support for sackings, changes in social services and getting rid of this ridiculous government who encourage all these dysfunctional families to carry on breeding.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this poor child and everything he went through in his short life. It sickens me to think that P’s pathetic excuse of a mother and her boyfriend should be able to walk the streets again in what could be 7 years time. How is that justice. I mean nothing will bring P back, but she should suffer a million times more than her son did. It’s things like this that make you wonder why the death penalty shouldn’t be brought back!
Not surprising as my dealings with Haringey Council in the past have left me in life threatening situations, and exacerbated problems which they claim they are there to solve. I am an adult so how distressed children are supposed to find sense in a badly organised maze of mismanagement is beyond me???. You are fobbed off from one officer/department to the next and back again, left more exhausted than the last time and ultimately told there is nothing they can do, yet they are being highly paid for horrendous incompetence. I’ve had numerous mental breakdowns as a result of their management. Money is being ill spent on their wages, when that should spent on the community as a whole,not sure how many of them actually live in Haringey?. I know people who have acted for free because because their so called ‘social services’ department have left people worse. People paying for appalling services.