A spokeswoman for HCC explained that litigation costs had increased partly because of an increased number of social work cases.
Responding to Dan Peter's item (Mercury 30/12/10); It is rich that Hertfordshire Council blame the tragedy of Baby Peter's death on the escalating litigation bill incurred by it's social services department, when perhaps they should reflect on and then reform the systemic failures they and other councils up and down the land impose on the public and most especially vulnerable children. As we are reminded in this article Baby Peter had 50 injuries inflicted on him in spite of being on an at risk register and having had 60 visits from social workers, any caring parent would have seen the signs in just one visit. Peter died in a week OFSTED gave Haringay council a clean bill of health, something they had to swiftly retract!
Instead of employing social workers with degrees up to their armpits in sociology, they should employ people from the 'University of Life' with degrees of commonsense!
Whilst Haringay is sighted as the worst social services in London and Birmingham as the worst in the UK following the equally high profile case of Khyra Ishaq, all councils are culpable of separating loving parents from their children in contact disputes,allowing children as young as 8 to go into irreversible care because a neighbour complained that the family dog barked too much (Eastbourne SS) and the general acceptance that Parental Alienation, something most right minded people recognise as child abuse, is condoned by all Social Services is a national disgrace!
If you have a view on this why not let the
Mercury know Today!
hodd-mercury@hertsessexnews.co.uk
