I guess it would be hard to overlook the tragic, tragic death of Baby P in Haringey!
I have literally had to turn away from news broadcasts, and overlook some newspaper pages, due to the unbelievably harrowing details surrounding the death of the 17-month old toddler.
And I can not help but become more and more frustrated because, when all is said and done, this was a totally avoidable death!
Ed Balls, the governments Childrens’ Secretary has said that there was “poor quality practice” in Haringey! Yet another government minister stating the obvious! Poor quality practice?

The little boy was seen SIXTY times by health or social workers during the eight months in which he was brutally abused.

The tot had more than FIFTY injuries or bruises.

When he was seen by a doctor two days before he died, he had a broken back, eight fractured ribs and was paralysed from the waist down.

 

Horror … cop image of injuries

Yet NO ONE realised the danger he was in. And NO ONE saved him. Does this constitute ‘poor quality practice’? Lets hope we never get to a situation where the quality of service could be described as ‘bad’!

David Cameron, leader of the Conservatives has perhaps hit on something when he said that “Society cannot work unless individuals carry the consequence of their actions. We’ve had a raft of excuses and not one apology. The buck has got to stop somewhere.”

This opens up a whole new debate – a debate about consequences and how society works – but that will be for another time. The very fact that, to date, not one official apology has been made for the failings that led to a brutal death, means it is a debate that must be had!