Baby P chief blames ‘naive’ MPs for child care collapse

Baby P council chief Sharon Shoesmith blamed "naive" politicians for the surge in the number of children taken into care in the aftermath of the scandal.

The political reaction to the death of Peter Connelly — who was not taken into care despite being seen 60 times by child protection workers — in 2007 has caused the "collapse" of the delicate social care system, the former Haringey children's services director claimed.

In a speech to the Westminster Education Forum, Ms Shoesmith said: "What happened to Peter Connelly was devastating."

But she said the care system depended on "a delicate balance" of the confidence and competence of frontline social workers and the funding and supply of available places in care — and in December 2008, when she lost her job, "we saw that balance collapse".

"In my mind it was due to the reaction of politicians and other senior leaders — were they really so naive?" she said.