http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2008/12/wider-questions-from-baby-p-tragedy.htm Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:02:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2008/12/wider-questions-from-baby-p-tragedy.htm/comment-page-1#comment-1476 Anonymous Sat, 06 Dec 2008 10:28:00 +0000 http://localhost/wp28/?p=1986#comment-1476 It must be so easy to criticise from your cosseted environment. How about looking at the real issues here. Lack of government funding, being the main one!! Everyone in social care is aware of the shortcomings. No government, of any persuasion, will fund the issue adequately. What is funded is clearly inadequate. Yes it’s the funding that is inadequate far more often than the workers involved - who charge around working many hours above those that they are paid for in an effort to attempt to be more effective. But isn’t this why inspections are announced weeks before they are undertaken? It enables senior management and the government to get the report they want rather than the true picture, which would evidence such a lack of resources. Yes, of course there were omissions/mistakes and it's a sad indictment of the system that a child has to die in such a way. I wish that this were the only occasion of such an incident, but you and I know it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Social workers have been saying this will happen for years. All over the country there have been gasps of "..there but for fortune..". It's a shame our elected representatives can only criticise the shortcomings of individuals trying to work in such difficult and unsupported environments rather than tackle the real issues of today's social deprivation and lack of discipline that is more prevalent that most realise and the root cause of the problem faced by social care professionals. So have a look closer and you may find that you (as an elected representative) are as culpable as those you accuse. This is, of course, a matter between you and your (political??) conscience. I hope you are comfortable and feel no responsibility in this case. I, for my part, am not sure that anyone in parliament can feel so comfortable with a system that is clearly under funded and close to collapse. Unfortunately, I am convinced this will happen many more times before something is done (if ever) by those that are elected to serve the people. I note no-one in parliament felt the need to resign. Is it any wonder that so few people have respect for MP’s. It must be so easy to criticise from your cosseted environment. How about looking at the real issues here. Lack of government funding, being the main one!! Everyone in social care is aware of the shortcomings. No government, of any persuasion, will fund the issue adequately. What is funded is clearly inadequate. Yes it’s the funding that is inadequate far more often than the workers involved – who charge around working many hours above those that they are paid for in an effort to attempt to be more effective. But isn’t this why inspections are announced weeks before they are undertaken? It enables senior management and the government to get the report they want rather than the true picture, which would evidence such a lack of resources. Yes, of course there were omissions/mistakes and it’s a sad indictment of the system that a child has to die in such a way. I wish that this were the only occasion of such an incident, but you and I know it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Social workers have been saying this will happen for years. All over the country there have been gasps of “..there but for fortune..”. It’s a shame our elected representatives can only criticise the shortcomings of individuals trying to work in such difficult and unsupported environments rather than tackle the real issues of today’s social deprivation and lack of discipline that is more prevalent that most realise and the root cause of the problem faced by social care professionals. So have a look closer and you may find that you (as an elected representative) are as culpable as those you accuse. This is, of course, a matter between you and your (political??) conscience. I hope you are comfortable and feel no responsibility in this case. I, for my part, am not sure that anyone in parliament can feel so comfortable with a system that is clearly under funded and close to collapse. Unfortunately, I am convinced this will happen many more times before something is done (if ever) by those that are elected to serve the people. I note no-one in parliament felt the need to resign. Is it any wonder that so few people have respect for MP’s.

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