SOCIAL SERVICES - LIB DEM LEADER DEMANDS EXPLANATION OVER INTERFERENCES IN INQUIRY

30.09.02

Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone has written to the head of the Government’s Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) demanding an explanation over Haringey’s controversial attempts to interfere with an investigation carried out by the SSI into Haringey’s children’s services.

The move follows the uncovering of the issue by the local Lib Dems and The Guardian newspaper. In a letter to Denise Platt, Chief Inspector of the SSI, Lynne Featherstone has accused the Labour-run council of:

1. Making direct contact with the recipients of SSI questionnaires, despite the fact that the information accompanying the questionnaires assured users that they were ‘anonymous’.

2. Offering home visits in order to “help” recipients to fill in the forms. One person, for example, was rung by Council staff who endeavoured to make an appointment for someone to call round to help her fill in the form.

3. Asking at least one recipient of the survey form if they had brought it along to a case conference The council had apparently planned to collect the forms rather than have them sent directly to the SSI.

Lynne Featherstone comments:

“In defending this behaviour, Haringey Council has argued that the SSI’s inspector is happy with this procedure and has no concerns over Haringey Council’s behaviour in this respect. I find it very surprising that an organisation investigating a council should find it acceptable for people working for that council to interfere with the collection of evidence by the inquiry. It is time we had some satisfactory answers.”

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