How Shoesmith tried to block Baby P probe

SHOCKING new revelations over the role of disgraced Haringey council chief Sharon Shoesmith in the Baby P scandal emerged today.

A secret report, leaked to the Standard, shows how the children's services director tried to block an investigation into her department six months after Baby P's death.

Ms Shoesmith was ordered to write the report by Haringey's scrutiny committee to help it decide whether a full investigation should be launched into the Children and Young People's Service.

Despite obvious concerns over the child protection department, Ms Shoesmith tried to prevent a full review, claiming her staff should be "commended" for improving services.

The 55-year-old added that the work of those responsible for safeguarding children, in particular, should be praised. The report concluded that "in light of good performance" a "full scrutiny review would not be beneficial or add value to the service".

Dated from 25 February, Child Protection- Feasibility Report relies on a discredited Ofsted review to back Ms Shoesmith's claims.

Evening Standard revealed that inspectors had congratulated Haringey for providing a "good service for children" despite knowing about Baby P's death.

The Ofsted report was signed off by a former senior Haringey official, Juliet Winstanley, who had worked under Ms Shoesmith.

In her report, Ms Shoesmith, who has failed to apologise over Baby P's death, quotes a raft of statistics to back her claims. The statistics relate only to time-based targets on how long it took to conduct assessments or assign social workers rather than any measure of how effective her staff had been.

Ms Shoesmith was dismissed from her £100,000-a-year post without a pay-off on Monday after being suspended last week by Children's Secretary Ed Balls when a report found systemic failures in her department.

She is due to receive a pension worth up to £1.5 million, and could mount a legal challenge against the decision to deny her a pay-off.

Baby P died at the age of 17 months after a sustained period of abuse at the hands of his mother, her partner and a lodger.

After they were found guilty of causing or allowing his death, Ms Shoesmith said social workers had done everything necessary to protect the child.