Channel 4 documentary raises the alarm on child protection
July 14, 2009
Posted by:Jonathan Wheeler
I don't know if you caught the Dispatches programme last night on Channel 4. It dealt with serious child protection failings in a number of local authorities including Kirklees, Doncaster and of course the London Borough of Haringey. And it isn't just the fault of social workers that (chillingly) one child is killed in England by its parents every 7 days; paediatricians, health visitors and the police all have their responsibilities too. So despite the recommendations of the Climbie enquiry 8 years ago, protection of the vulnerable remains unfit for purpose. Hitting agencies in the pocket by pursuing successful compensation claims is a campaigning tool - it can force them to wake up to their mistakes and to change their ways.