Doncaster child abuse mum jailed

Not just Harringey and Birmingham Social Services are renowned for poor service. Doncaster too has been lambasted by the courts.

Doncaster social services have again been blasted after a judge was told of four years of hell suffered by two girls.

The sisters, now eight and 10, were repeatedly beaten.

Their mother cannot be named and neither can her partner who called the girls "tarts, scruffy idiots" and "little b*****ds". The oldest girl told police he hit her 50 times with his belt buckle.

Social services took the girls off the child protection register six months after they had been deemed at risk.

Judge Jacqueline Davies spoke of a "horrid process of intimidation" on "defenseless little girls". She said: "It is concerning social services placed them on the register in April 2005 and removed them six months later."

The mother, 31, was jailed for 21 months. Her partner, 26, was jailed for three years and three months.

Doncaster social services apologised last month after two boys were tortured last year by brothers, now 11 and 12, who the department knew had violent pasts.

Was it my multi-blogged moan?

Was it my multi-blogged moan that un-locked my new blog http://sequels-and-trilogies.blogspot.com/ ?
I know that blogger took the full 20 days to un-lock a blog of a friend of mine. Now his block WAS highly political but there should be no difference.
Perhaps it was my genuine threat to move to wordpress?

Who knows?

Thank You blogger for acting quickly

Bob de Bilde

in reference to: Prequels, Sequels & Trilogies (view on Google Sidewiki)

Bob de Bilde gets his 15 minutes of fame...

on IS A C*NT...

http://isacunt.blogspot.com/2010/01/bob-de-bilde.html

Thanks to GOT & the crew

in reference to: Bob De Bilde (view on Google Sidewiki)

My Disgust at Blogger

Blogger has marked one of my blogs (Prequels, Sequels & Trilogies) as spam...

It will be deleted within 20 days if I do not lodge a review

WTF Blogger... I am seriously considering moving all my blogs to the more versatile Wordpress !

I am reposting this on ALL my other open blogs using the sidewikibar thingy!!!

in reference to: My Sony Ericsson Sucks: My Disgust at Blogger (view on Google Sidewiki)

Birmingham social services children's director told to 'stop making excuses'

The man brought in to fix Birmingham Council's troubled children's services has been told to "stop making excuses" after blaming stress levels for high absence rates among social workers.

Absenteeism has been an ongoing issue in Birmingham social services, with staff signed off ill an average of 24.9 days a year - a significantly higher amount than the national figure.

In an article in TheGuardian last week, the council's director of children's services Colin Tucker (pictured below) attributed this rate to the stress and pressure social workers face, particularly since the number of increased referrals after the Baby P case.
But councillor Len Clark, head of the scrutiny committee that in October deemed Birmingham's child protection "not fit for purpose", disagreed, saying Tucker was failing to address the issue properly.

"Despite Colin's assertions, the scrutiny committee's findings were to the contrary," he said. "Absenteeism has been a persistent problem since before the increase in referrals. We didn't employ Colin to make excuses for this problem, we hired him to fix it."

Report slams Birmingham Social Services

A recent published report (05 October 2009) has heavily criticised Birmingham City Council's Social Services department. Video Editor Phil Vinter highlights the report's major conclusions. There are interviews with the report's author and an irate Khalid Mahmood MP for Perry Barr, who was previously a local councillor.

Baby P and the Death Toll Keeps Rising. 52 + Named Children Now Dead from Social Services Failures

I wanted to do an update as the shocking numbers grow on children dying from Social Services failures. With the numbers rising let us not forget that doesn’t include the children that are dying IN social services care and the DCSF report shows that Children placed in care are three time more likely to die than others and a DCSF report showed that 800 children have died in care in the last ten years which is on average 2 a week so where does this leave children in need of protection who are then placed in care and should be safe from harm and neglect?.

PLEASE NOTE, THESE FIGURES WILL BE UPDATED EVERYTIME WE RECIEVE OR FIND INFORMATION ON A CHILD MURDERED. ALL INVOLVE SOCIAL SERVICES FAILURES AND ALMOST EVERYONE INCLUDED NSPCC FAILURES TOO. THERE ARE STILL AT LEAST A FURTHER 40 NAMES TO ADD TO THIS LIST SO BARE WITH ME AS I AM SEEKING THEIR AGES AT DEATH

Birmingham hospital claims council owes £500,000 in bed blocking row

A Birmingham hospital claims council owes £500,000 in bed blocking row

Birmingham’s biggest NHS hospital is taking on the city council in a bitter row over alleged unpaid debts.

University Hospitals Foundation Trust claims it is owed £500,000 to cover patients who are well enough to be sent home but cannot be discharged because the council’s social services and housing departments have failed to provide suitable care packages for the mainly frail elderly patients.

Under the Community Care Delayed Discharges Act, councils must pay hospitals £100 a day for every patient occupying a bed unnecessarily.

It seems that Birmingham’s other NHS Trusts are also talking to the council about alleged unpaid debts.

In a statement, University Hospitals said: “If the council, as per its contractual arrangements, cannot provide appropriate facilities into which the patients can be discharged, the patient will not be transferred and will remain in hospital.

“In such cases of delayed transfer, the council has an agreement with UHB to fund continuing hospital care.

‘‘As a result of this agreement, the council owes UHB approximately £500,000 for the care of such patients.”

The dispute highlights a growing row over bed blocking, which is rapidly leaping up the political agenda.

Audit Commission inspectors recently awarded Birmingham a ‘red flag’ for failing to address an unacceptably high number of delayed hospital discharges.

The Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) found that 150 patients were blocking beds in city hospitals.

The red flag, denoting poor performance, seemed to suggest that Birmingham might be slipping back eight years when more than 300 mainly elderly patients were marooned for weeks on end in city hospitals.

The then Labour-run city council was severely criticised by the Government and ordered to take action.

33 + named Children that have Died from Social Services Failures inc Haringey Baby P

This article date has been updated to prepare for new names that will be added to the list

Social services failures are so regular it is a daily occurance and children do die and they will continue dying because social workers, the police, the government and people like the NSPCC do not listen and are often part of the failures despite having millions of pounds to protect children.

These are just a few of social services failures that have ended up in the death of young children.

Number of children who have died in Birmingham social services care rises to 19

BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL bosses have admitted 19 children have died of abuse or neglect in Birmingham in the past five years – with 16 known to social workers.

A further three youngsters suffered ‘serious injury that could have resulted in death’.

Previously Birmingham City Council had only admitted to 15 child deaths since 2004 but it issued the grim new figures after an investigation by a local newspaper

The shock news comes days after its child protection services were officially branded “not fit for purpose” in a council scrutiny report.

The inquiry was prompted after the department was labelled inadequate by Ofsted inspectors last December.

The sad new statistics show that the council, Britain’s biggest local authority, has initiated 22 Serious Case Reviews (SCR) since January 2004. Eighteen related to deaths, including two siblings who died between 2006/07.

A council spokesman confirmed that of the 19 deaths a staggering 16 were known to social workers and in some cases other agencies including West Midlands Police, local health trusts and probation.

The other three children out of the 22 cases did not die but suffered serious injury.

The shocking death toll means Birmingham City Council has by far the worst ever record for suspicious child deaths in the country.

The authority was put in special measures by the Government in January. It was one of only four authorities – including Doncaster and Haringey where Baby P died – to be judged to have inadequate children’s services last year by Ofsted.

Doncaster has had seven child deaths in the past five years. A Government team is now running its child protection services while Birmingham has been given until February to improve or face its department being taken over.

Tony Howell, Strategic Director for Children Young People and Families, is at the helm of the shamed child protection service and earns between £138,000 and £153,000 a year.

Joke Of The Month!

Q: How many Social Workers does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Ten. (One to call an electrician and nine to turn a blind eye to the affair)!

Joke of the month

Q: What's the difference between a social worker and a photo of a social worker in the window?

A: One is a pain in the arse, the other is an arse in the pane!

Year for Birmingham City Council to improve Children's Services

Birmingham City Council has been given a year to improve its children's services after 15 children died through abuse or neglect since 2005.

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes said she was "very concerned" after Ofsted inspectors said four out of five cases were inadequately dealt with.

She said she might use her "statutory powers to direct a solution" if the council did not make enough progress.

The council said it welcomed the government's help.

In a letter to council leader Mike Whitby, Ms Hughes said she recognised the council had taken action to address its weaknesses. But she said government action was needed to ensure progress was made "swiftly and decisively".

Two new assistant directors have been sent to the department and an external monitoring team has been put in place which will send monthly reports back to the minister.

A review of the department will be held in six and then 12 months' time, she said.

Ms Hughes added: "I am keen to see swift improvements in Birmingham and for children, young people and families to receive the service they deserve.

"I have decided to underpin the improvement measures and progress I expect, with an improvement notice.

"This will give Birmingham City Council 12 months to demonstrate robust and sustained progress, with a review after six months."

Duty of care

The government-appointed monitoring team will provide monthly reports on the council's progress.

Tony Howell, Birmingham City Council's director for children, young people and families, said: "I am very pleased with the response from government and welcome the support they are making available.

"The elements of the package are built around areas of support we asked the department for towards the tail-end of last year."

The council said then it was the largest local authority in Europe, catering for 250,000 children and teenagers, and that the number of deaths had not increased annually.

Birmingham Perry Barr MP Khalid Mahmood, who raised the inquiry in the House of Commons earlier this week, told the BBC: "In a large city like Birmingham they need to serve all of our citizens irrespective of size," he said.

He added he was "absolutely flabbergasted" the council would not say exactly how many of the 15 children who died were already known to social services and called for the council to be open.