Haringey: ministers ignored warnings

The Government ignored a whistleblower's plea for an investigation into Haringey Council's failing social services department six months before the horrifying death of "Baby P", The Independent has learnt. A former social worker at the council wrote to Patricia Hewitt, then Health Secretary, to highlight Haringey's inadequacies in dealing with abuse claims.

The woman pleaded for a public inquiry and claimed: "Child abusers are not being tackled." The council has since gagged her with an injunction. The letters were sent by Lawrence Davies, a solicitor for the former Haringey social worker Nevres Kemal, in February 2007 – six months before the 17-month-old boy known as "Baby P" died at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger. Baby P was on Haringey's at-risk register and had been visited at home 60 times, but social workers and doctors did not spot the signs of abuse. A post mortem showed he had a broken back, eight broken ribs, numerous bruises, severe cuts and abrasions to his head and face and badly damaged fingers.

Ms Kemal had been working on a separate case where children from one family were being sexually abused by a relative. She said the council had failed to act on her information, and that she was dismissed for causing trouble.

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The letter was sent to Ms Hewitt, the then culture minister David Lammy and the junior health ministers Rosie Winterton and Ivan Lewis. Mr Lewis was also responsible for the Department of Health's social care portfolio.

It read: "Our client whistle-blew the fact that the sexual abuse had been ongoing for months and the new management brought in post-Climbie had not acted... We write to ask for a public inquiry into these matters."

Mr Davies expected that the letter would ring alarm bells – especially since Haringey was severely criticised eight-year-old Victoria Climbie was murdered by her great-aunt in 2000.

Instead, he received a reply from the Government informing him it would not undertake an inquiry. Yesterday, he said: "Ms Kemal spotted the flaws at Haringey Council, exactly the same flaws as the ones that allowed Victoria Climbie to die and Baby P to die. We asked for a public inquiry. Who knows what could have been done if they had undertaken one. It's just tragic."

The letter was also sent to the Department of Health's Commission for Social Care Inspection – the watchdog body for social workers. The query was passed between departments but again no action was taken. Mr Davies added: "The Social Care Inspectorate are the people with the hit squads if they are tipped off about things like this. It is their job to investigate, but they didn't. Why?"

The revelations sparked anger in Westminster last night. The shadow Children's minister, Tim Loughton, said: "Ministers need to make clear exactly what information they received, and when, so that we can get to the bottom of this."

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "There must be a public inquiry into the death of Baby P, and the wider circumstances of Haringey's social services provision."

Ms Kemal's allegations first came to light at an employment tribunal in 2007. She claimed that the council's inaction had exposed children in the same family to the risk of sexual abuse by a relative. This was four years after Lord Laming published his report into the death of Victoria Climbie and Ms Kemal claimed that procedural recommendations set out in that report were not being followed.

Ms Kemal was served with an injunction from the council preventing her from speaking to the media or anyone else about Haringey: should she wish to speak to Lord Laming about the investigation he is to conduct on the Baby P case, she cannot. Her lawyers are trying to overturn the injunction.

Last night, the Department for Children, Schools and Families confirmed it had received the letter 21 months ago.

A spokeswoman said: "Our records show we received a letter dated 16 February 2007, forwarded to us from the Department of Health, detailing an employment tribunal issue with Haringey Council, and containing an allegation that child protection procedures were not being followed in Haringey. Officials from this department replied on 21 March 2007. In that letter they made the point that ministers could not comment on the specific details of the employment tribunal case. As is standard practice, they suggested that the individual should notify the relevant Inspectorate, the Commission for Social Care Inspection, to take appropriate action and they provided the necessary contact details."

Yesterday, it emerged that Baby P's mother gave birth to a girl while in prison awaiting trial. Against police advice, Haringey social workers recommended that the baby remain with her mother. She was eventually taken into care at the insistence of Scotland Yard.

Haringey Council finally apologised yesterday for the way it had handled the Baby P case. Liz Santry, the council cabinet member for children and young people, said: "We are truly sorry that we did not do more to protect him. Our duty is to protect our children. We did not do so in this instance."

This week, Baby P's mother, her boyfriend and their lodger Jason Owen were convicted at the Old Bailey for causing or allowing the death of a child. They will be sentenced next month.

Profile: Sharon Shoesmith

Sharon Shoesmith has been portrayed as one of the villains in the Baby P tragedy. She has resolutely defended the social care team that so badly failed the child and has said no one would be sacked over the council's handling of the case. "If any resignations or sacking were needed there would have been," she said. "I certainly won't be resigning." At a briefing after the verdict on Tuesday, she twice refused to apologise for the council's role in Baby P's death, saying: "This child was killed by members of his own family. The agencies are not responsible." Ms Shoesmith joined Haringey Council in 2001 and became director of children and young people's services in April 2005. Her role in the serious case review has also been questioned. The review is meant to be independent but was ordered by the Haringey Local Safeguarding Children Board, which is chaired by Ms Shoesmith.