Social worker loses case over Climbie

Haringey council was right to sack a junior social worker for gross misconduct over the death of Victoria Climbie, an employment tribunal ruled today.

Claims by Lisa Arthurworrey that she had been "hung out to dry" and made a scapegoat for the failings of more senior social services staff were flatly rejected.

The employment tribunal chairman had yet to reach his conclusions today before Ms Arthurworrey - correctly anticipating what they would be - stormed out of the hearing in Central London.

Chairman Thomas Ryan concluded: "In the tribunal's judgment the claimant was not made a scapegoat by the respondent (Haringey council). Whatever sympathy the tribunal-might have for the claimant, whom we recognise will have to live with the consequences of this case for the rest of her life, we are wholly unable to say that the decision to dismiss was not one that a reasonable employee should have made. The claimant was not unreasonably dismissed."

He continued: "A scapegoat is one who is made to carry the blame for others. She has said it many times and said it forcefully."

He said that had she been the only one to be dismissed, the argument would have had some force, but another social worker had been sacked and others had either resigned or been made redundant, and so put themselves beyond disciplinary action.

A public inquiry by Lord Laming found that Haringey missed at least 12 chances to save Victoria's life, and a secret internal report commissioned by the council identified eight mistakes made by Ms Arthurworrey before she was sacked from her ?32,000-a-year job.

According to the council she was primarily responsible for failing to prevent Victoria being tortured and murdered by her carers Marie-Therese Kouao and Carl Manning at their flat in Tottenham.

During the hearing Ms Arthurworrey claimed to have been a victim of a "grave miscarriage of justice". She said she was now only able to earn ?13,000 a year working for a housing charity, and has been placed on a register which prevented her ever working again with children.

Today's ruling was quickly condemned by Haringey Lib-Dem spokesman on social services Ron Aitken. He said: "The real culprit, despite the fact that she was the only one honest with Lord Laming's inquiry, is apparently Lisa Arthurworrey. Haringey has once again been let off the hook entirely against the facts." He said the council's chief executive and director of social services had escaped censure despite their ?120,000-a-year salaries.

Lawyers for Ms Arthurworrey had told the hearing this week that she had been made to take a disproportionate share of the blame for Haringey's "pitiful failures" in dealing with the Climbié £ase.