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Original poster

Baby P witch hunt

262 replies

the7Vabo · 05/10/2024 22:44

I watched a full documentary on Tik Tok about Baby P today.

The thing I’m most struck by is that social worker/s were fired, a doctor is in permanent psychiatric care, social workers received death threats and in the middle of it all the mother receives a minimum 5 year jail sentence and has been in & out of jail since 2013.

There were clear failing but a lot of it was against the background of an overwhelmed system. In particular the clinic where the doctor worked had been flagged as dangerous to senior management by two doctors who resigned and another doctor was on stress leave. There was no access to notes at this clinic. The doctor who last saw Baby P had no access to notes, wasn’t familiar with procedures around child protection in the UK, was working without the assistance of a nurse who might have helped her. She saw Baby P for a specific reason to rule out underlying conditions that might explain his injuries. She was blamed for missing that he had a broken back but it’s not clear when his back was broken.
Her face was plastered all over the papers and she went to train stations multiple times with thoughts of ending her life, asked for her name to be removed from the register and is now in psychiatric care.

The social worker directly involved might have been able to do more but she did a lot including removing Peter, taking him to hospital, contacting the police and immediately contacting the mother when she heard she had a boyfriend.

The head of the area had serious death threats and was fired.

I know people say the different agencies between them had contact 60 times and they shouldn’t have missed it. But that also means there was a lot of effort being made to protect him.

There were reports written immediately afterwards blaming various social workers, the police and medical staff involved with the exception of that doctor seemed to get off more lightly.

The thing that floors me is the mother got min 5 years and was first released in 2013!!! It’s bloody extraordinary. I saw a clip of her speaking to social workers, she was v convincing!

I just can’t get over how a doctor can have a nervous breakdown but the mother is meanwhile out & about!!!! She back in now for breach of conditions I think. I keep thinking about that doctor.

AIBU?!

OP posts:
ProfTeeCee · 05/10/2024 23:18

I worked in a healthcare role in Haringey at that time - it was an absolute mess! Such a fragmented care system covering a very vulnerable population. St Anne's Hospital was impossible to staff. I still find the whole case so distressing to think about.

BluebellsareBlue · 05/10/2024 23:14

I watched it too, I was disgusted. I know that the failings were because services weren't joined up and things were missed but ffs the real criminals were the mom the step dad and the brother in law. Where is the anger at them?

Original poster
the7Vabo · 05/10/2024 23:09

Autumnismyfavouritetimeofyear · 05/10/2024 23:03

Yes @the7Vabo . Unless people are knowingly indifferent,it is so undeserved. The toll it takes on the professionals is horrendous.

People were still commenting negatively on the TikTok videos.
The most senior social worker/head of the area successfully sued for unfair dismissal. People seemed to have a real issue with her, whereas I’m glad she stood up for herself.

OP posts:
Autumnismyfavouritetimeofyear · 05/10/2024 23:03

Yes @the7Vabo . Unless people are knowingly indifferent,it is so undeserved. The toll it takes on the professionals is horrendous.

Original poster
the7Vabo · 05/10/2024 23:01

Autumnismyfavouritetimeofyear · 05/10/2024 22:59

It seems it is always easier to blame systems because then we can pretend that this is why these things happen - not because evil people will find ways to be evil. I guess it makes us feel safer but it is stupid.

Yes, the public seemed more interested in the people who missed the injuries than those who caused them.

OP posts:
Autumnismyfavouritetimeofyear · 05/10/2024 22:59

It seems it is always easier to blame systems because then we can pretend that this is why these things happen - not because evil people will find ways to be evil. I guess it makes us feel safer but it is stupid.

Original poster
the7Vabo · 05/10/2024 22:59

x2boys · 05/10/2024 22:55

I haven't sent the documentary and agree it was the mother and her partner etc that was culpable
But they prevented professionals coming into the house and tried to hide Baby p,s injuries when they did come round?

The social worker said the mother was pretty co-operative which made her less suspicious I guess.

In the clip of the mother talking she’s pretty convincing.

OP posts:
Original poster
the7Vabo · 05/10/2024 22:55

Tbskejue · 05/10/2024 22:49

I know; it’s always the systems at fault rather than blaming the parents. I think it’s because society can’t cope with the idea of parents killing their children so would rather blame professionals, particularly when it’s mothers

The whole seems extraordinary. David Cameron stood up on the House of Commons ranting about a 17 year old struggling mother when for starters the woman was 28.

The media have a lot to answer for, they fed this frenzy against social workers. If that doctor had jumped under a train the editor of The Sun would have blood on his/her hands IMO.

OP posts:
Frankensteinian · 05/10/2024 22:55

echoes of Lucy letby and Kate and Gerry McCann. Obvs totally different stories but the blame fell on them. People look for a nice juicy villain, they don’t want the obvious villain, they want the macabre story

x2boys · 05/10/2024 22:55

I haven't sent the documentary and agree it was the mother and her partner etc that was culpable
But they prevented professionals coming into the house and tried to hide Baby p,s injuries when they did come round?

Tbskejue · 05/10/2024 22:49

I know; it’s always the systems at fault rather than blaming the parents. I think it’s because society can’t cope with the idea of parents killing their children so would rather blame professionals, particularly when it’s mothers

Dramatic · 05/10/2024 22:48

I've seen this documentary before and I wholeheartedly agree. It sickens me that the social workers and doctor got more venom and hate than the people who tortured and brutally murdered Peter. Yes they could have potentially done more but they were completely overrun with cases and I don't think they could have forseen what happened in the circumstances.