Blunders of Birmingham social services and education officials are plain to see
Jul 28 2010 by Paul Dale, Birmingham Mail
AN OFFICIAL report into the blunders of Birmingham social services and education officials who could have prevented the horrific death from starvation of seven-year-old Khyra Ishaq but failed to do so makes for gut-wrenching reading.
The findings of the Serious Case Review will be instantly recognisable to anyone who has followed this country’s appalling record on tackling child abuse over many years.
The things that went wrong in Birmingham – essentially, the failure of social services, education officials, police and health to communicate with each other – bears a striking resemblance to the deaths elsewhere of Victoria Climbe in 2000 and Baby Peter in 2007. Each tragedy caused a national outcry. Formal inquiries were held. It was claimed by those in positions of authority that lessons had been learnt.
