Baby P

"Baby P" (also known as "Child A") is the alias of a 17-month old boy (real name protected by court order), who died after suffering over 50 injuries at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend, and another man.
The mother (name protected by court order) of Tottenham, north London, was charged with the murder of her 17-month-old son and with allowing and causing the death of a child under 16. Her partner, (name protected by court order), also of Tottenham, was also charged with murder and allowing and causing the death of a child under 16.

A friend of the parents who was lodging at the residence- Jason Owen, 35, of Bromley, was charged with allowing and causing the death of a child under 16.

Haringey Council opposition had twice, once before the death and once after, requested a review of Social Services within Haringey, but Sharon Shoesmith denied that one was necessary.

Parallels have been drawn between the death of Baby P and that of Victoria Climbié, who was murdered in the same borough of Haringey. The death has also been the subject of debate in the House of Commons.

Abuse
Baby P was first admitted to hospital, aged 9 months, in mid December 2006, with a head injury and bruising. Medical Staff considered the injury "non accidental", and he was kept in for 4 days. On December 22, 2006, Baby P and one of his siblings became subject to a child protection plan.

In March 2007, the eldest child was seen to be slapped by her mother. In April 2007, Baby P was presented to hospital with a serious swelling to the head, as well as bruises and scratches to his face and neck. It was also noted that he had head lice. He was admitted to hospital for 2 days.

In June 2007, a social worker observed marks on Baby P and informed the police. A medical examination concluded that the bruising was due to abuse. On 4 June, the baby was placed with a friend for safeguarding. Over a month later, on July 25, Haringey's Children & Young People's Service obtained legal advice which indicated that the "threshold for initiating Care Proceedings...was not met"

The following month, on 1 August, 2007, Baby P was seen by a paediatrican for a development assessment, which showed him to be unwell with a viral infection and partly healing scalp infection; a follow up assessment was arranged.

At 11.35am on August 3 2007, an ambulance was called to the house where the crew discovered Baby P's dead body in his cot.

Aftermath
Haringey Council initiated a internal audit Serious Case Review (SCR) after the death of Baby P. The report was released immediately after the court case had completed, although the actual report was completed months prior.

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children Schools and Families has ordered an external inquiry into Haringey Council Social Services, after David Cameron asked questions about the case during Prime Minister's Questions.

Three further inquires have also been ordered:
*The role of all agencies in the case of Baby P including the health authority, police and Haringey Council will be reviewed.
*The General Social Care Council will look into potential breaches of its code of practice.
*Lord Laming will conduct a nationwide review by of his own recommendations after the Victoria Climbie inquiry.

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) confirms it had received a letter dated 16 February 2007 (6 months before the death of Baby P) containing "an allegation that child protection procedures were not being followed in Haringey". The letter was send from a lawyer acting for a former social worker, who sent the letter to the then health secretary, Patricia Hewitt who forwarded the letter on to the DCSF.

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