New Baby P council chief faced questions over two child deaths

The man charged with turning around Haringey's failing social services faced a string of critical reports in his previous job after two children died in cases of suspected abuse.

Peter Lewis is to be paid nearly £200,000 a year to replace Sharon Shoesmith, who was sacked this month over the death of Baby P.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls appointed Mr Lewis 10 days ago praising his "excellent" reputation as director of children's services in neighbouring Enfield.

But an investigation by the Standard has found social workers and health staff in Enfield were criticised over cases in which children died or were seriously harmed under his watch.

Since Mr Lewis joined Enfield in February 2004, four reviews have been held into serious cases where child abuse or neglect was suspected.

In one "bizarre and troubling" death, a teenage girl's body lay undiscovered in her mother's flat for four months.

A three-month old baby died in another example in which failings by social workers were identified.

In another case, a one-month old baby girl was left critically ill with deliberate head injuries after social workers failed properly to assess her parents.

Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said the cases raised concerns.

She said Mr Lewis's salary, a large rise from Ms Shoesmith's, raised expectations that he would be able to tackle the deep-rooted problems in Haringey.

"We expect a huge amount from Mr Lewis," she said. "It would be appropriate to hear directly from him. We want to be reassured on how he handled these cases and how they came to light."

The Government and Enfield council defended Mr Lewis's record, saying Ofsted had praised the borough's "outstanding" child safety work.

A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families said: "We have every confidence in Peter Lewis. He has a very strong track record and will make an immediate impact on addressing the problems at Haringey." Enfield said the four serious case reviews had helped the council improve child protection.

A spokesman said: "In Enfield, we are continually striving to stop children at risk of harm slipping through the net.

"We have been determined to conduct an independent investigation into such cases. Through these investigations we have learnt the lessons and improved practice across all of the agencies involved including children's services, health and the police. As a result, our approach to safeguarding children has just been assessed as outstanding."

When his appointment was announced, Mr Lewis, 54, acknowledged he would face "challenges" in Haringey but he promised to work hard to give children in the borough "better lives".

Mr Lewis is to report to Mr Balls every month. His appointment follows an outcry over the death of 17-month-old Baby P last year. The toddler suffered months of abuse and neglect from his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger.

He had been seen at least 60 times by child protection and health workers but had more than 50 injuries including a broken back.

Care failures under Lewis

THE A' FAMILY

IN May 2004, a report severely criticised the failure of child protection staff to safeguard five children from one family over a period of eight years. Their mother was known to have sexually abused a child before and her children were on the Enfield child protection register for several years.
One baby died of natural causes in 1997. Ineffective efforts by social workers and "poor management" allowed other children in the family to be physically injured, sexually abused and, in the case of an 18-month-old baby, to suffer life-threatening burns in a fire.

CASE N'

IN the summer of 2004, a prematurely born, three-month old baby died suddenly. The serious case review was set up to find out whether the death from "natural causes" was "in any way preventable".
The 21-year-old mother had been abused herself as a child and was judged to be "very vulnerable". Despite three requests for her case to be formally assessed by child safety staff, this never happened. Social workers eventually made contact with the mother two months after the baby died.
The report condemned "very concerning" failures in record keeping and poor communication between health and social workers.

CASE AW'

IN February 2005, a one-month-old baby was admitted to hospital critically ill with bleeding to the brain and suffering seizures. She had been either struck on the back of the head with a hard object or violently shaken. Her injuries were confirmed as "non-accidental" but the parents denied any knowledge of how she came to be hurt.
The review criticised lack of communication between Haringey, where the mother lived until shortly before the incident, and Enfield. It said the mother should not have been allowed to take her newborn baby home from hospital without closer monitoring.
Opportunities were lost for a thorough assessment of both parents and the "potential risks" to their child. Social workers were slow to respond to the likely abuse case when the baby was admitted to hospital. She has since been adopted.

CASE ST'

IN March last year, the body of a 16-year-old girl was found in her family home. She had been lying dead for four months while her brother, sister and mother remained in the house. No cause of death could be established.
Neighbours reported hearing an all-night religious ceremony at the house around the date of the girl's death.
The review found the family had little contact with local agencies. A GP was criticised for removing them from his books without properly recording why. One relative raised concerns with a local authority but did not make a formal referral to children's social services. The mother took the children out of school to be educated at home so they had no contact with teachers.
The report said the "bizarre and troubling" case highlighted the need for councils to "promote public awareness" of child protection issues and to give children every chance to seek help outside their families. It also highlighted how home-educated children could be vulnerable.