[candy1567]

Hi joglynne

I understand how ur friend feels, to all the other posters i am totally with u on feeling utterly disgusted at the way this child was left to die, parents are totally responsible for their childs welfare till normally way beyone the 18yrs stage i know i have 2 of the little darlings!!!!

The point i was trying to make and maybe it didn't come across well is that a more hands on approach is needed instead of passing the buck and referring to other departments, everyone should sing from the same song sheet. Although children and families is not my chosen field i have worked in this department and the childs welfare as a whole should be handled to include education, medical, physical and emotional needs are being met, this is often not the case and signs and symptons are not passed on to relevant ppl.

Due to govt targets ppl dont get to spend the time and are not able to give the support which is so obviously needed, gut instincts and signs are ignored due to the internal pressures of the job, i know this is not an excuse but this happens on a daily basis an eg of this is i got verbally disciplined for not completing my end of the day visit chart, i explained that i had just had an emergency mental health assessment, which involved sectioning under the mental health act and securing them a place in a psychiatric unit and was filling in the mountain of paperwork. i was told yes i understand that but the govt needs these charts to see if we are hitting our targets of visits, wen i stated wat i think they could do with these charts as keeping a mentally ill person safe was far more important to me, i was given a verbal warning for not following company policy. MADNESS

Until all departments work together GP, social services, health visitors, care staff and hospitals ppl especially children will slip through the net. We have had numerous high profile cases especially victoria climbe and more recently Baby P, but lessons have not been learned the same mistakes are being made over and over again the govt are insisting that targets and reports are the way forward making sure Social Services have covered their tracks by filling in forms and statements, but that is not the way forward, u cant assess someone sitting in the office completing paperwork u need to be out there looking for signs, getting help and support and monitoring.

God sorry everyone for writing war and peace but i feel very pasionate about this at the end of the day its about everybody having a quality of life especially children if they have a bad start in live as they then grow up to maybe be very complicated adults!!!