Ed Balls, the children's secretary, yesterday ducked the key issue of whether child protection services were adequately funded, as he gave the government's response to the Baby P abuse scandal. Although he committed £58m to plans for recruiting more top-quality social workers in England, Balls did not respond to a proposal that child protection should get a ring-fenced budget that ...

Spending time on the frontline is what matters, children's secretary tells profession Child protection managers should spend less time in offices and more time supporting overworked social workers on the frontline, the children's secretary Ed Balls said today. Many social workers dealing with complex child abuse cases in England were too inexperienced and it was unacceptable for them not...

The Conservatives last night moved to embarrass Ed Balls, the children's secretary, over the fallout from the Baby P scandal by pledging to publish for the first time a serious case review into the death of a child under social services care. The action, announced by Tim Loughton, the shadow children's minister, sets a precedent for serious case reviews into child abuse, which are tradit...

What is child abuse? (Click to enlarge) It’s time, once again, to vent our collective spleens. It’s time, once again, for those on the moral high ground to stand up and be counted. It’s time, once again, to crucify a social worker. Haringey Council has done it again. Eight years on from the Victoria Climbie scandal, their social service department has allowed another defenceless child to be ...

The child abuse scandal that has engulfed the Vatican has intensified after two more bishops offered to resign and the leaders of 5m Catholics in England and Wales issued public apologies

…again. David Davis What can be done about these people, who have got their teeth into the ankles of civilisation to this extent, but who are so wrong and so bad? And I didn’t necessarily mean the social workers either…. Posted in Announcements, British Media, Education, Events, LA Papers, Liberty   Tagged: Baby P, child abuse, children, Haringey, social workers, s...

The government is pumping £58 million to stop the exodus of social workers from the profession since the Baby P scandal broke.

Empty boxes So Haringey Council has done it again. Eight years on from the Victoria Climbie scandal, their social service department has allowed another defenceless child to be horrifically murdered. Frankly, we find the details of Baby P's case too distressing to read, and it seems nobody comes out of it well. But it beggars belief that Haringey Social Services decided to leave the child wit...

The Baby P scandal has prompted Children's Secretary Ed Balls to order social services bosses in charge of protecting children to retrain.

A controversial database containing details of every child in England will be rolled out today to ensure "faster contact" between doctors, social workers and police if they suspect a child is at risk.