Baby P: The Untold Story. BBC 1 directed by Henry Singer (watch it on BBC IPlayer).

August 2007, Peter Connelly, a cherubic, 17-month old,
blond-haired, blue eyed boy was unlawfully killed – beaten to death. Among
other injuries he suffered were broken ribs, a broken back and a missing fingertip.
His mother and her boyfriend were found guilty of those crimes. This is not the
story about the 260 children that have died since the, 26 of them known to the
local authorities. Or the story of the five to ten familial homicides every
week.  This is the story of a Salem type-media frenzy in which social workers and care staff became national hate figures.

1.2 million signatures were delivered to Number Ten Downing Street by The Sun – I almost called it a newspaper– urging the government to take action and sack social work staff. After 26
days and 1.4 million ‘voices’ it announced the success of this strategy. Death
threats were made. Sharon Shoesmith, director of child services with Haringey
Council was sacked. Her daughters were also targeted and moved to a safe place
by the police. Marie Ward the social worker directly involved with the case
never returned to the house she had lived in – it was no longer safe. Gillie
Christou, social work team leader was named and shamed. The consultant
paediatrician Dr Zaybaht who examined Peter was pinned with sick headlines and
vitriol like Paki go home and Towelhead, a Muslim woman and a Dr at that seemed
a step too far for the British public to take. After attempting suicide she did
go ‘home’.

The lead for this kind of narrative came from the leader of the
opposition, David Cameron. It is a sackable offence to knowingly tell a lie in
the House of Commons, but Cameron managed a few in his brief foray into the
debate. His narrative line was quite simple. Here was a 17-year old woman on
benefits (she was 28-years old) living with her boyfriend, Stephen Bartlett,
who was illiterate (?) and would you believe it? Haringey Council, the same
council that had failed Victoria Climbie had received £100 million of
government money, every year (that’s a very precise figure, rounded up, no
doubt by Tory inflation). What was the government going to do about? Cameron
asked. But, of course, he wasn’t really asking. He was scoring political
points.

Ed Balls representing the government. Kim Holt representing Great
Ormond Street Hospital and its subsidiary care unit St Anne’s were Patrick was
examined; Ofsted who initially compiled a report given Haringey a rating of 3,
the equivalent of a gold star, subsequently, oh dear, somehow lost that report
and downgrade it to 1, which means social services were in crisis –which they
were, as all social work departments; The Metropolitan Police who failed to
take any kind of forensic documentation of the child’s injuries, or to notice
that Baby P had a new ‘stepdad’ but, oh dear, that was social work’s fault.
Look over there, it wasn’t us guv. The politicians, the police and the media
had found the culprits. Social Workers. Burn them. A simplistic narrative often
catches fire, better than any attempts at the truth.

Three things worth considering. Sharon Shoesmith has been unable
to work since then. But she received a six-figure sum for unfair dismissal. An
unnamed whistle-blower told how the Ofsted inspectorate tampered with official
documents and lost them. A consultant paediatrician who had made allegations of
systemic failure and a lack of support at St Anne’s was offered £150 000 by
Great Ormond Street Hospital, basically to shut up. Worst of all, David Cameron
is now Prime Minister, no doubt children don’t die on his watch. Perhaps if they do, he'll do the honourable thing?

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