Haringey 'has improved' since Baby Peter

In a progress report published today, the watchdog praised improvements in partnership working, quality assurance and performance management processes.
A joint area review in November 2008, following the fall out from the Baby Peter case, judged the authority's safeguarding services to be inadequate. A further report in June last year found there only to be limited progress.

But today's report states: "There has been a marked acceleration of progress to build upon the foundations which had been laid at the time of the June 2009 inspection.

"There is an increased level of confidence and morale in the area that is enabling managers and staff to look forward with greater enthusiasm and commitment.

"There is both recognition and acceptance that much remains to be done to achieve better outcomes for children and the high standards of service that the partnership has set for itself."

The inspectorate found the council has made good progress in improving the effectiveness of arrangements for the referral, assessment, protection and planning for children in need. Effective screening has resulted in better managed and reduced caseloads, according to inspectors.

Priorities for further improvement outlined by Ofsted include securing further improvements in the timeliness of initial and core assessments, improving the involvement of children and young people in child protection conferences and improve attendance of medical representatives at case conferences.

The report also urged learning from serious case reviews to be passed to childminders and all childcare providers.

Haringey Council leader Claire Kober said: "We are not complacent and this is by no means the end of our journey.

"Baby Peter's death was a wake up call to us all - in Haringey and indeed across the country. It is our responsibility to remain vigilant in his memory and never stop improving."