Carers go into schools to protect children

SOCIAL workers, GPs and psychologists will be based in schools under plans designed to protect children from harm.

Ministers announced a £200 million fund to bring together health, education and children's services under one roof to help spot pupils' problems earlier. Children's Secretary Ed Balls also launched a taskforce to investigate how social work should be reformed to prevent another tragedy like Baby P's.

He said schools in the 21st century would allow families to access a range of services in one place.

The cash will fund up to 100 schemes across England.

Moira Gibb, chief executive of Camden council and a former social worker, will chair the taskforce. It will review every aspect of the profession and develop a major programme of reform.

The taskforce will examine how social workers prioritise their time, whether they receive adequate support from managers and how to make sure there are enough of them "on the front line".

It emerged yesterday that 210 children had died as a result of abuse in a 16-month period in England alone.

Among them were 21 babies but only two were known by social workers to be at risk.