By on October 22, 2014
Peter Connelly
Ofsted ‘cover-up’
The documentary features an anonymous Ofsted inspector who accuses the children’s services inspectorate of a “cover-up”. The inspector claimed to have seen Ofsted’s report about the inspection of Haringey that was held prior to the scandal. The inspector said the report rated Haringey’s services as ‘good’, but says it “disappeared” after the story hit the headlines and when the document was published after an emergency inspection of Haringey, the grade had been changed to ‘inadequate’.
Sharon Shoesmith, the director of children’s services at Haringey at the time, also raises questions about Ofsted’s emergency inspection in the documentary. “To see the amount of manipulation that went into producing that report was really quite devastating,” she said.
At the time Ofsted’s chief inspector claimed Haringey Council misled its inspectors, which explained why the emergency inspection found the local authority’s services to be failing while a 2007 assessment had rated them good.
‘Complete story’
The documentary also includes claims that the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which was managing St. Ann’s – the hospital where Connelly was examined before his death, tried to cover up concerns that practitioners working there had voiced before the 17-month-old’s death.
Kim Holt, a doctor who had been working at St. Ann’s before taking stress-related sick leave, told the film makers that after the story broke she was approached by GOSH and their lawyers about concerns she had been raising. “They were trying to get me to retract my concerns, sign a confidentiality agreement and take £120,000 for doing it,” she said.
In the documentary GOSH said that the allegations against it had not been upheld by numerous investigations.
Baby P: The Untold Story will air at 8.30pm Monday 27 October on BBC One
- Sharon Shoesmith will be taking part in debate on ‘Blame and accountability in child protection: How much have things changed since Baby P?’at Community Care Live Children and Families on 20 November. The event is free to attend for professional social workers.
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See also http://alicemooreuk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/social-services-boss-sacked-after-baby.html