Climbie worker's career 'is over'

The social worker at the centre of the Victoria Climbie child abuse scandal today said for the first time that she would never again work in the profession.

Haringey social worker Lisa Arthurworrey said the furore surrounding the case had forced her to abandon hope of returning to her previous career.

She used the final day of the public inquiry into Victoria's death to warn that the public backlash the case had sparked against social work would lead to a recruitment crisis.

Ms Arthurworrey, 32, gave her views via her lawyer Jane Hoyal, who said: "This case was every social worker's nightmare.

"The public expects social workers to be able to predict the future and have infinite time, resources and expertise to prevent the unthinkable murder of a child by her carers.

"Lisa's social work career is now over. Nationally social work is at a low ebb. Inadequately resourced London boroughs are inundated with homeless families and children. Few can afford the services for children which they are legally obliged to provide."

Ms Arthurworrey, the last social worker to see eight- year- old Victoria alive, said she was being made a scapegoat by Haringey council for its own chaotic management of her department.

Haringey council also went on the offensive today, accusing the inquiry of being preoccupied with detail at the expense of trying to learn any real lessons from Victoria's death.

Today's final submissions mark the end of the first phase of the public inquiry, which was set up to find out how four councils, two hospitals and two police units failed to spot signs that Victoria was being abused by her greataunt and her boyfriend. Both have been jailed for life for her murder.