BABY P CASE - Belated justice? - If it can be called that! - Have your say? (6)

Haringey Council said Sharon Shoesmith was dismissed from her £100,000-a-year post with immediate effect and would not receive any compensation.
But she will still get her gold-plated civil service pension, estimated to be worth up to £1.5million.
The 55-year-old head of Haringey's children's services was removed from her post last week after Children's Secretary Ed Balls said she should be replaced, but remained on full pay while the north London council considered her future.
She had provoked widespread anger for her refusal to apologise over the torture and death of 17-month-old Baby P at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger.
She insisted her department had 'worked effectively', although Baby P was seen 60 times by social workers, health officials and police.
She said she saw no need for officials to lose their jobs, handed out graphs showing her department's performance and defiantly announced: 'I certainly won't be resigning.'
She added at a press conference: 'The very sad fact is that we can't stop people who are determined to kill children. I am satisfied that the action that should have been taken was taken.'
Haringey has since admitted spending £19,000 on media training for high-profile employees involved in the case. Mrs Shoesmith and Liz Santry, Haringey's Cabinet member for children and young people, who resigned earlier this month, are thought to be among those who received training.
The death of Baby P provoked widespread anger against Haringey Council and Sharon Shoesmith
There were fears that Mrs Shoesmith, a former teacher and schools inspector, would receive a substantial pay-off to ensure she could not sue the Labour-run council for unfair dismissal.
Last night a Haringey spokesman said her contract was studied by the council's lawyers before her fate was decided by a panel of three councillors. Mrs Shoesmith was at the disciplinary hearing.
Two other council officials, Mrs Shoesmith's deputy Cecilia Hitchen and the head of safeguarding children, Clive Preece, have also been suspended on full pay.
No decision has been made yet about their jobs. The council spokesman said: 'We are acting as quickly as the law allows.'
Three people have been convicted of causing Baby P's death
Three social workers who were involved with the case - Maria Ward, Gillie Christou and Sylvia Henry - have been told their positions will be reviewed. They are not currently working in child protection.
An emergency report into the state of Mrs Shoesmith's department after the Baby P case highlighted a catalogue of failings.
Inspectors condemned everything from poor record keeping to a failure to identify children at immediate risk of harm.
Haringey council was severely criticised for failing to prevent the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie in 2000.

Local MP Lynne Featherstone said: 'Hopefully this marks a break with the culture of secrecy, failure and deceit that failed Baby P.'
Susie Squire of the TaxPayers' Alliance said Mrs Shoesmith should lose some of her pension benefits. She said: 'There's no reason why an individual who has overseen such a debacle should receive the gold-plated benefits of a civil service job.'
A spokesman for Mr Balls's Department for Children, Schools and Families said: 'The Secretary of State is satisfied that Haringey appear to have moved swiftly to resolve this in the right way.'

they should all lose thier jobs and any benefits that came with it, but as always the action taken is never far enough.

social services should be taken out of the hands of the politicians and put in the hands of an organisation who are not in thier jobs for money or the benefits that come with it.

something like barnardos or the like in my view would be a much more sound investment in the life and safety of under priviliged and at risk kids.

im not a political person so im not going to embarrass myself by talking politics that i know nothing about.

i see the same problems with kids happening over and over again, we never learn the lessons from those kids who have lost thier lives at the hands of evil vile people. that tells me that the system in place isnt working and hasnt been since the childrens act came into place in 1974. give these poor kids who at this precise moment in time are suffering a chance...............give the responsibility of child welfare to people who have the passion and commitment to work thier fingers to the bone to make a difference. when it come to evil cruelty all this stupid political correctness and human rights should go out the window..........people who carry out these vile acts are not human and dont deserve to be treated so..........all their rights should be taken away.