Sarah’s Law to be rolled out
By politics.co.uk staff Sarah’s Law, which sees parents given information about sex offenders in their area, may be rolled out across the country, ministers have suggested. The law, which was established after a campaign by the mother of eight-year-old Sarah Payne, who was murdered in 2000, is currently a pilot scheme in Southampton, Warwickshire, north […]
‘Thousands of children’ failed by system
By Emmeline Saunders Thousands of children are being put at risk of sexual exploitation because local authorities are ignoring the problem, children’s charity Barnardo’s has argued. Four in five local authorities do not have any specialised services to help sexually exploited children and young people, despite government guidance which urges councils to consider the needs […]
Shoesmith sacking review begins
By Liz Stephens The ex-director of children’s services at Haringey Council during the Baby P scandal will take her case to a judicial review today. Sharon Shoesmith was dismissed by the children’s secretary Ed Balls in the wake of the case after one million people signed a petition in a national newspaper calling for her […]
Nannied children ‘face Baby P risk’
By Alex Stevenson Children who are looked after by nannies are being neglected by the government because of a lack of regulation – risking another Baby Peter case – it is being claimed today. James Tweed of Childcare Matters consultancy will tell the Professional Nanny Conference at Chiltern College that the government’s failure to create […]
Celebrities launch social worker appeal
By Ian Dunt A host of celebrities have launched a television appeal to counter the desertion of social workers from the profession in the wake of the Baby P scandal. Actor Samantha Morton spearheaded the appeal with a description of the “wonderful” social workers who helped her as a child, while musician Goldie and Eastenders […]
Revealed: Britain’s social worker failure
By Alex Stevenson Local authorities are being forced to hire social workers from overseas as the post-Baby Peter recruitment crisis deepens. A growing trend confirmed by politics.co.uk today reveals Britain has failed to train and retain adequate numbers of homegrown social workers, compromising the state’s ability to look after vulnerable children across England. The sector […]
Feature: Who would be a social worker?
Recruiting social workers from overseas is just the tip of the iceberg. By Alex Stevenson It’s one of the most worrying symptoms of a malaise which has been steadily worsening since the turn of the century – and has now been pushed closer to the edge by the Baby P tragedy. No one will deny […]
Full extent of social workers’ misery revealed
By Alex Stevenson Social workers face a “vicious circle” that is driving the sector downwards, a government-appointed taskforce has found. An interim report of the Social Work Task Force issued the warning as it continues to assess the state of social services in the wake of the case of Baby P, later identified as Baby […]
Galloway was victim of child abuse
Respect MP George Galloway revealed today that he was abused by a school caretaker at the age of 11. Mr Galloway disclosed the information in his regular column for the Daily Record, which he used to lend support to the government’s vetting system for people who work with children. Mr Galloway said if the rules […]
NHS failing to learn from Baby P
By Liz Stephens The NHS needs to do more to protect children from neglect and abuse according to a report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) out today. Following a national review of NHS child safeguarding, commissioned by the health secretary in the wake of the Baby P case, it has been revealed that several […]
