Disgraceful 

That woman has absolutely no shame.

Peter Connelly was systematically abused, tortured and finally killed by his "family", despite 60 visits from Social Services under her watch.

And yet all she can say is how "unfair" it is that she lost her well-paid job and pension. How does she sleep at night?

Angry beyond words

I heard the stupid bint on the radio earlier, she's an utter disgrace

What a disgrace.

Totally agree, absolute disgrace....and to say she is "over the moon" ...

I used to work for Haringay Council, and it was the most incredibly disorganised and chaotic organisation I have ever encountered.  Proper procedures were never followed by anyone, and advice was ignored.  I'm disgusted, but not particularly surprised, that Sharon Shoesmith has been able to get an unlawful dismissal verdict.  But you would have thought that just for once, with something so very, very important and serious, that the Council would have managed to make sure that all procedures had been followed to the letter and that this woman would not have been able to find a loophole.  

Now if Ed Balls had kept had kept his big gob shut in the first place!

I'm probably in the minority here but good luck to her.

If it had not been for the Sun, it's hysterical foaming at the mouth articles, and  the wound up reaction of it's prick-eared readers, events may have taken a different turn.

Once the hopeless Ed Balls stuck his oar in and caused her to be illegally sacked, (and that's why we didn't vote for the imbecilic redneck potential leader) once her and her daughter were hounded with death threats, there was only ever going to be one result.

That is the most disgusting thing   The brass neck of that woman.

The police were also found equally as culpable in the case, as well as certain of the medical profession.

They appear to be bombproof.

 

When I was in the police (I haven't mentioned this before) Our Inspector always said, "Remember we are not social workers, if you suspect anything, act."

no you are not,  she was dismissed illegally and is entitled to challenge that, she didn't kill baby p, his mother and boyfriend did that - yes her department should have acted differently but that doesn't mean she can be sacked without following the regulations/rules of employment

Blimey Joe, I think saying good luck to her is going a bit far.

I totally get that it was a cross agency screw up but it seems that no one ever pays any kind of price in these cases apart from the odd social worker at the bottom of the heap and the poor kids themselves.

I truly think this is one case where hysterical foaming at the mouth is justified. She should have been sacked and should never hold a position like that again imo.

Think we'll be agreeing to disagree on this one mate x

Well call me old fashioned but if we are going to allow tabloid shieght to run roughshod through our democratic processes, we are going to hell in a handcart.

They've been doing that for years though - the tabloids I mean.

Is your objection that she was sacked at all or is it the way it was done?

I'm not going to wish her luck, but I do think Balls announcing her sacking at a press conference, without her even being informed first, was a stupid move. I don't know the full details, but the rules should have been followed to the letter, if she deserved sacking.

 

I must also say that she came across as cold and uncompassionate in her interviews about the Baby P case and is now looking smug and satisfied on my telly box.

'shoesmith' a good name for her-she was clearly cobblers at doing her job

I'm incensed about this.

I noticed this morning Sky News was doing a spring clean job on her and that makes it all the worse.  The woman earned megabucks to hold a buck stops here position ~ except that the buck didn't stop there.  Irrespective of the validity of her sacking, the fact that she has pursued the matter relentlessly just tells me what an arrogant, insensitive person she is.  Maybe we've got short memories, but I will never forget the details of how that baby suffered while Shoosmith's department did nothing.  She should have disappeared into the ether in shame at what happened to that poor little mite....but her focus was to be recompensed for being sacked.   The word accountability has no meaning in certain sectors of our society and unless its restored we're          !  Include your own expletive, mine would get me the ban stick.

it tells me she was entitled to be sacked fairly and was claiming against that

 

shoesmith didn't cause the suffering her mother did that, shoesmith's department were negligent.  there is accountability and there is a witch hunt and the two should not be confused

Veggie! My objections are the way it was done, the fact that everyone thinks the buck stops with her when it's blatantly a multi agency cock up, which obviously leads to a scapegoat theory. More so the tabloid based hate campaign and death threats. If we are going down this road then let's have a level playing field.

yeah

but joe-thats why managers exsist-to manage-and she didnt

Yes I totally agree Aquarius. But then if she had felt even the tiniest bit of remorse over what happened then she should have resigned.

 

And re: accountability. I notice a few people having a go at the press and the Minister over this citing the undemocratic nature of the press and the kneejerk (my wording) reaction of the minister concerned. While I am one of the first to have a go at these institutions at the drop of a hat, and understand that our society is supposedly built on the rule of law principle, perhaps in this case they were both just reflecting the fury of society at large over this.

So why not use proper procedure?

I haven't read an awful lot about this case as it just hurts my heart to think of that baby and what he suffered.

But I'm sure I read somewhere that the social worker on the ground had repeatedly put her concerns about the way this family was being dealt with by the agencies concerned into writing both to this Shoesmith woman and then above her head to someone in the Ministry.

I don't have the details just seem to remember reading that.  Perhaps someone who knows more can fill in the blanks.

My point is that Shoesmith can't even claim ignorance if that is the case, she knew and she did nothing

suppose what people are pissed off about is that she did a really crappy job at running her dept-gets the sack cos of baby p scandal (which, i think she deserved) but then she gets a huge payout which she doesnt deserve

and its wrong

 

I think we will never agree on this point machel.  My idea of accountability seems at odds maybe, but her highly paid job meant that she and the department she headed were supposed to be the buttress between child and family members.  When that process fails there HAS to be accountability.

No offence intended, I hope none taken xxx

Pretty much Pirate.     I don't have a job like that (thankfully) but if I made a major cock up at work which resulted in, for example, the company making a huge loss, I wouldn't expect a bonus.  I know it's nothing like the same thing btw... but i'm saying I expect to be paid what I'm worth.   If i screw up, I'd expect to lose out.   

 

If i screwed up in her shoes, I couldn't, in all conscience, complain about the manner in which I was relieved of my duties.    However, the law is indeed an ass.. and she was sacked 'unfairly' in terms of not following procedure and from what I remember the monies she'll get should only compensate for what she would have earned from the time of her sacking until the date of the court hearing.    What I want to know is why it took 3 years to get to court.     Three years at £133k per annum?    Sack her, put your hands up, compensate her a month later and save yourself 390 grand.  

 

As for her being 'over the moon'  ...... how does she sleep at night?

 

PS.. the death threats I don't agree with Joe.. but as for wishing her luck.  No, I couldn't.

in a nice comfy bed-she can afford it

 

No wonder they emigrate.

Yes indeed, and her cold attitude, following Baby P,s death, didnt endear  her to the public. All she ever seemed to care about was her job , which she didnt do very well............and to be rewarded for this with a massive payout, is just disgraceful. Her glee at getting this , i find very distastful..

no offence taken, (there never is with logical debate)  i think she should have been dismissed (but following legal procedure) but she alone should not "carry the can"  and there would never have been an issue if  baby p had normal decent human beings for parents/carers

You have to question how accountable her department was and how accountable a head of that department was.  Clearly being paid £100k plus didn't make her accountable in law to run her department without two fatal errors of practice that lead to two entirely avoidable deaths of children.  I don't know where the responsibility lies if it doesn't lie at the very top of a department not fit for purpose.

Didn't the doctor involved get struck off?

No there wouldnt be an issue if Baby P had decent parents, but he didnt. It was this woman,s job to put this child on a high risk register, and either remove him from the home, or appoint a guardian , she failed to give this child the care he needed. She would have had daily reports from the social workers, on visits.  She failed to act on at least 60 reports. Yes the buck does stop with her.

Yes! She is now struck off in this country but can still practice abroad. She took the rap for the poor set up at Great Ormond Street, even though she wasn't a paediatric specialist.

 

Interesting that the evil perpetrators received minimum sentances of 3, 5, and 12 years, and here we are getting upset at Sharon Shoesmith.

 

ed balls hung ger out  to dry, he wanted a scapegoat to appease the  outraged masses so as per he picked on the social workers, who can hardly do any sort of  effective job at all due  to the rigid structures in which they have to operate.

 

 ed balls should be ashamed of himself.

 

it pisses me off when the first knee jerk reaction  to any child abuse case is to blame the social workers, it'd be more  beneficial  to overhaul the contraints under which they  are obliged to work that  in effect make them virtually powerless to achieve anything.

 

but its  a handy hook to hang our outrage on.

 

 

Skylark his child minder also alerted SS such were her concerns about that poor darling,she told them he was dying ni front of her eyes,the response she got was to give his mum a break...His biological father noticed marks on him and refused to give him back to that specimen who gave birth to him,SS notified the police and the police had to remove the child from his fathers care and hand him back to those who were brutally and systematically torturing him.Giving Shoesmith a break would be a darn well pleasure.

Yes her dismissal may well have been proved unlawful, fine but the smug grin I witnessed whilst watching her spokesperson speak for her earlier on the news made me feel sick with anger, she is only concerned with the pay out she feels entitled too, nothing more, a child was systematically abused on her watch, this should not ever be rewarded, not ever, what is the world coming too, she should keep her head down and stop the poor me routine its outrageous

I agree with all of the above.