The Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report Social Work Essay

The Victoria Climbie interrogative sentence Report Social fetch Es ordainIn his statement to the House of Commons when presenting entitle Lamings Inquiry Report into the death of Victoria Climbi, on 28 January 2003, the Secretary of evoke for Health, Alan Milburn, saidIt is an all too familiar cry. In the past few decades in that keep an eye on take for been dozens of inquiries into awful cases of child abuse and neglect. apiece has called on us to learn the lesson of what went wrong. Indeed, there is a remarkable consistence in both what went wrong and what is advocated to be sick it right. superior Lamings Report goes boost. It recognises that the look to for a simple solution or a quick topical anaesthetic anestheticisation principle allow non do. It is not b atomic number 18ly national standards, or proper(a) training, or adequate resources, or local leadership, or new structures that argon consumeed.I will egest an overview of the inquiry. I will in like ma nner give an overview of the themes, lack of answerability right done the organizations to the ab come forth senior take and supply not adequately trained in child aegis. I will analyse and critique these themes in sexual relation to agency insurance, healthy requirements, research, practiti angiotensin converting enzymer knowledge and the voice of the answer user. Previous inquiries and there railroad tie to this inquiry will be discussed along with take away we learned either lessons from this. The casualty to implement a legal, ethical and political frame execute to depose current outperform practice will be utilized. I will reflect on the implications of evidence sweargond practice and how this will inform future genial operate on practice.This paragraph will depict a summary of the events leading to the death of Victoria Climbie, and establish why there was a need for the inquiry. From the report (Lord Laming, 2003) we know that Victoria Climbie came to Engl and with her grandaunt, Marie- in that locationse Kouao in April 1999. inwardly a year, she was dead. On 25th February 2000, Victoria died of hyperthermia at St Marys Hospital, Paddington. She was just eight years old and had 128 separate injuries to her body. On 12th January 2001, her great-aunt Kouao and her boyfriend, Carl Manning, were convicted of murder. The level of cruelty experienced by Victoria was truly horrific, with cursory beatings apply several(prenominal) divergent implements. Her final days were spent sustentation and sleeping in an unheated bathroom in the middle of winter, where she was circumscribe hand and foot, lying in her own urine and faeces in a bin bag in the bath. The secretary of State dance band up the independent statutory inquiry into her death, under the Chairmanship of Lord Laming, in April 2001, to establish under plane section 81 of the Children doing 89 the tincts with the functions of the local authority affectionate benefits comm ittees and the way they relate to children. The inquiry wanted to examine the way in which local authorities in respect of their accessible services functions and identify the services sought or convey by, or in respect of Victoria, Marie-Therese and Carl.This section will now excogitation to analyse and critique the key theme I collapse place that emerged from the inquiry report which is lack of accountability right through and through the organizations to the most senior level and staff not adequately trained in child protection. Lord Laming (2003) points out(a) There were at least 12 key occasions when the relevant services had opportunities to successfully intervene to serve well Victoria, but had failed to do so. deep down the Report Lord laming (2003) states That not one of these interventions would have required great skill or made backbreaking demands on staff, sometimes it needed nothing to a greater extent than a private instructor doing their job by asking pe rtinent questions or taking the disconcert to look in a case file. He continues to states Lord Laming (2003) There can be no excuse for such(prenominal) sloppy and amateurish performance. As Lord Laming (2003) commented Not one of the agencies empowered by sevens to protect children in positions such as Victorias emerged from the Inquiry with much credit, what happened to Victoria, and her outlive-ditch death, resulted from an inexcusable gross disaster of the system. Lord Lamings (2003) expressed His amazement that nada in the agencies had the presence of mind to follow what are relatively frank procedures on how to respond to a child near whom there is concern of deliberate harm.The Inquiry Report (Lord Laming, 2003) highlighted general lack of accountability through the organisations as the principal reason for the lack of protection afforded to Victoria. Who should be held creditworthy for these also-rans? As Webb (2002) states Lord Laming was clear that it is not th e hapless and sometimes new seem-line staff to whom he directs most criticism, but to those in positions of management, including hospital consultants, I think that the performance of people in leadership positions should be judged on how well services are delivered at the front door. prof Nigel Parton (2003) points out that Too a good deal in the Inquiry people justify their positions virtually bureaucratic activities or else than around outcomes for children. Frankly, I would be the very become person to say that steady-going administration is not essential to good practice. Professor Nigel Parton (2003) continues to state that Good administration-and we did not see a destiny of it, I have to say-is a means to an end. I cannot imagine in all other walk of life if a senior conductor was in charge of an organisation and that organisation was going down the pan-to put it crudely-in terms of sales and performance that someone would say My role is totally strategic, do not ho ld me to account for what happens in the organisation. People who hire senior positions have to stand or fall by what service is delivered at the front door. The Inquiry Report Lord Laming (2003) highlighted the apparent failure of those in senior positions to understand, or accept, that they were responsible for the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of local services. As Rustin (2010) states Lord Laming pointed to the yawning gap in the differing perceptions of the organisation held by front line staff and senior managers. Lord Laming was unequivocal that the failure was the fault of managers whose job it should have been to understand what was happening at their front door. As the Report Lord Laming (2003) pointed out, some of those in the most senior positions used the defence no one ever told me to distance themselves from responsibility, and to signal that there was nothing they could have done. Rustin (2004) states this was not a view share by Lord Laming. Rustin (2004) also continues to state that Lord Laming went even further in evidence to us, telling us forcefully that, in his view, accountability of managers was paramount, and that the front line staff were generally doing their utmost. In addition to the vestigial problems of a lack of accountability and managerial control, it was also apparent in the course of the Inquiry Lord Laming (2003) that other failings existed in all aspects of practice. This section will evaluate previous inquiries and how they link to this inquiry and have any lessons been learned from them. As Rustin (2004) states As with many previous inquiries into child protection failures, female horse Colwell (1973), Jasmine Beckford (1984), Tyra Henry (1984) and Kimberley Carlile (1986) it was clear that the quality of information exchange was often poor, systems were crude and information failed to be passed between hospitals in close propinquity to each other. As the Report commented Lord Laming (2003) Information syste ms that depend on the random passing of slips of paper have no place in modern services.The evidence from another report, Maria Colwell, who had died in January of 1973 pointed to similar weaknesses, which were tack together in Victorias report these weaknesses were, lack of accountability and staff not adequately trained (Corby et al, 2001).Inquiry reports are sources of evidence to inform social lam practice and even though they have many weaknesses within them as illustrated. Professor Nigel Parton (2004) points out that In many respects public inquiries have proved to be the key vehicle through which changes in insurance and practice have been brought about over the last thirty years in relation to child protection policy and practice in this country. Professor Nigel Parton (2004) continues to point out that Rather than public inquiries existence ignored, they have been fundamental to the way child protection operates. In this respect, they are as much a part of the problem as they are the solution. engender lessons been learned from the many public inquiries over the previous thirty years. It was as if states Professor Nigel Parton (2004) The frontline professionals, and the key organisations and agencies who have responsibility for children and families were quite incapable of acquire the lessons and, crucially, putt these into practice in such a way that such horrendous tragedies could be avoided. It is hoped by many, therefore, that the report by Lord Laming, and the changes brought about as a result, will mean that this will be the last report of its type.This section will address the other theme I have highlighted adequate training. The question of adequate training and supervising for staff working in all the relevant agencies were also an issue identify in the Inquiry. Professor Nigel Parton (2004) points out that In Haringey, for congressman, it was observed that the provision of supervision may have looked good on paper but in practice it wa s woefully inadequate for many of the front line staff. Professor Nigel Barton (2004) also points out that nowhere was this more evident than in the position that in the final weeks of Victorias life a social worker called several times at the flat where she had been living. There was no reply to her knocks and the social worker assumed, quite wrongly, that Victoria and Kouao had moved away, and took no further doing. As the Laming Report (Lord Laming, 2003) commented, It was entirely possible that at the time Victoria was in fact lying just a few yards away, in the prison house of the bath, desperately hoping someone might find her and come to her rescue in front her life ebbed away.This section will now look at the failure to implement the legal and political material within the inquiry report. Lord Laming within the report (Lord Laming 2003) told us that he continued to believe that the Children answer 1989 was canonicalally sound legislation. His recommendations do not arg ue for a major new legislative framework. However, Lord Laming (2003) states he did not believe that the solve was being implemented in the way that had been envisaged for it, and, in his view, there was a yawning gap at the present time between the aspirations and expectations of fantan and the certainty of what is delivered at the front door. Rustin (2004) states In the absence of adequate managerial accountability, front line workers were obliged to make crucial strategic decisions, for example about the use of the Children typify, and between using sections 17 and 47 (relating on an individual basis to a child in need, and a child in need of protection). The sections of the Act had been developed with the intention of as pointed out by Rustin (2004) Of recognising the different needs of children. How the sections were being applied on the ground just as stated by Lord Laming (2003) is Quite different, far from employing the section of the Act that would best meet the needs of the ill-tempered child and their circumstances, what they were actually doing was using these sections to breatherict access to services and to limit the availability of services to people. The Children Act, Lord Laming (2003) argued to us Should be about promoting the well-being of children, not about putting labels around peoples neck. Lord Laming (2003) went on to suggest that Front line workers were being forced into do decisions that should properly have rested with management and policy decisions. This raised major questions about the role of public services and the basic principles that should underpin them, as (Lord Laming 2003) stated We need to stand back and say that we need to discover the basic principle that the public services are there to serve the public, not just some of the public and not just some people who can get through eligibility criteria, or who are sufficiently persistent. Therefore services must be more accessible and they must be more in tune with their local communities. If, as Lord Laming believes Kirton (2009, p.17) states The Victoria Climbi case was not unique, but highlighted widespread and major deficiencies in the implementation of the Children Act, this raises issues that Government should address. I believe that the Children Act 1989 remains essentially sound legislation. However, there is concern as pointed out by Professor Nigel Parton (2004) That the provisions of the Act which sought to ensure an leave response to the differing needs of children are being applied inappropriately, used as a means of rationing access to services, and have led to section 17 cases being regarded as having low priority. The Laming Inquiry (Lord Laming 2003) recommended that consideration should be given to unifying the Working Together guidance and the National legal opinion Framework guidance into a single document, setting out all the way how the sections of the Act should be applied, and giving clear direction on action to be taken under sections 17 and 47.Within this section I will discuss the ethical framework. It is important to include the issues of social course of action and gender, which were not evident in the Victoria Climbi inquiry. However, it is issues around ethnicity and race that are more evident. However, the diversity referred to is incredibly complex. This is illustrated at various points states Webb (2002) For example At the time Victorias case was handled in Brent, all the duty social workers had legitimate their training abroad and were on temporary contracts. (In Brent) at least 50 per cent of social workers time was spent working on cases of isolated minors. As Webb (2002) states There was evidence that Haringey has one of the most diverse populations in the country, with 160 different languages spoken locally, a long tradition of travellers subsidence in the borough and a high proportion of asylum-seeking families (9 percent of the total population).Within the report Lord Lami ng (2003) points out that In relation to all the capital of the United Kingdom boroughs involved there were high levels of poverty and deprivation, diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic backgrounds, as well as the diverse backgrounds of the workers themselves. In many respects, it seems Victorias situation was not unique in these respective boroughs. Webb (2002) indicated The impact of increased global mobility, more specifically the rapid increase in asylum-seeking families, together with the diverse backgrounds of the workers themselves progressively seems to characterise work in many metropolitan areas. This has a particular impact states Webb (2002) On the nature, stability and cohesion of local communities. It is worth noting that, compared to the Maria Colwell case, no referrals are noted in the Victoria Climbi case from neighbours or other members of the fellowship apart from the child minder Mrs Cameron. We are not simply talking about diversity here but undreamed complexi ty. Kirton (2009) argues that Not only does it pose major linguistic challenges but also it poses major challenges for statutory departments in relation to the familial and cultural identities of those with whom they work and to whom they have responsibility. Issues around racism are clearly important here, however they cannot be reduced to a simple black and white community and cultural divide.This section will reflect on the implications of evidence-informed practice (EIP) and the emolument of the inquiry to inform the development of future social work practice. Often, in hindsight, those who put people at essay are blamed for the mis set and harm they cause. (Kirton, 2009) This is arguably the most signicant professional context in which EIP has emerged. According to Munro (1998) Social workers rely on vague assessments and predictions, rather than considering what is more or less probable. In everyday life decisions have to be made on a limited evidence stupid and professiona l decisions are also at best problematic. There are numerous unexpected and complex outcomes in social work, many of which rest on having to make judgments under conditions of uncertainty. (Kirton, 2009) The main problems associated with making effective decisions in social work as stated by Kirton (2009) include risk and uncertainty, intangibles, long-term implications, interdisciplinary input and the politics of different vested interests pooled decision making and value judgments. Decision analysis has developed as a statistical technique to help overcome these kinds of problems. Decision analysis is closely related to to risk assessment and actuarial practices. Evidence-informed practice and policy are self-explanatory. They involve the adoption of evidence-based protocols and use local standards for conducting social work practice and ontogenesis organizationally specic policies. (Webb, 2002) It has been suggested that evidence-informed protocols feed directly into the practit ioner context to provide guidelines for carrying out EIP. Essentially evidence-informed practice and policy in social work will entail the explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the social care of service users. This denition is widely used and derived from Sackett et al.s Evidence-based Medicine (1996). A pragmatic approach as stated by Sackett (1996) Has been adopted here, which regards the practice of evidence as integration practitioner expertise with the best available external evidence from domineering but multiple research methods. The implementation model outlined is the musical theme that the practice-based process begins with the evidence rather than the individual or groups of clients.Clearly the action of evidence-informed practice and policies will be governed by the economic scope of social work agencies in terms of resources and the development of an evidence-informed infrastructure. (Kirton, 2009) Sackett (1996) points out th at At a local level it will also be dependent on incremental learning and accumulative professional development which are plausibly to be facilitated by the practice research networks and evidence-based briengs discussed above.In this essay I have analysed and critiqued two key themes from the inquiry, lack of accountability right through the organizations to the most senior level and staff not, adequately trained in child protection. I have also analysed and critique these themes in relation to agency policy, legal requirements, research, practitioner knowledge and the voice of the service user. I have linked previous inquiries and discussed have we learned any lessons from these inquiries. I identified the failure to implement a legal, ethical and political framework to inform current best practice will. I also reflected on the implications of evidence informed practice and how this will inform future social work practice.A closing quote to finish from the Secretary of State, Ala n Milburn (2003)It has entangle as if Victoria has attended every step of this inquiry, and it has been my good fortune to have had the assistance of colleagues whose abilities have been matched by their commitment to the task of doing umpire to Victorias memory and her enduring spirit, and to creating something positive from her suffering and ultimate death.