Murder of Victoria Climbié
(
2000 In London
)
Victoria Adjo Climbié (2 November 1991 – 25 February 2000) was an eight-year-old Ivorian girl who was and murdered by her great-aunt and her great-aunt's boyfriend. Her death led to a public inquiry, and produced major changes in child welfare policies in the United Kingdom.
Born in Abobo, Côte d'Ivoire, Victoria Climbié left the country with her great-aunt Marie-Thérèse Kouao, a France citizen who later abused her, for an education in France where they travelled, before arriving in London, in April 1999. It is not known exactly when Kouao started abusing Victoria, although it is suspected to have escalated to torture when Kouao and Victoria met and moved in with Carl Manning, who became Kouao's boyfriend.
Victoria would be forced to sleep bound in a black Bin bag filled with her own Human feces in an unheated bathroom. They burned her with cigarettes and scalded her with hot water, starved her, tied her up for periods longer than 24 hours, and hit her with bike chains, hammers, wires, shoes, belt buckles, coat hangers, wooden spoons, and their bare hands. Whenever she was fed, she would be forced to eat like a dog. On some occasions the couple would throw food at her and make her catch it in her mouth.
Up to her death, the police, the social work department of four local authorities, the National Health Service, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), and local churches all had contact with her and noted signs of abuse. However, in what the judge in the trial following Victoria's death described as "blinding incompetence", all failed to properly investigate the case and little action was taken. Both Kouao and Manning were convicted of murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment.
After Victoria's death, the parties involved in her case were widely criticised. A public inquiry, headed by Lord Laming, was ordered. It discovered numerous instances where Victoria could have been saved, noted that many of the organisations involved in her care were badly run, and discussed the racial aspects surrounding the case, as many of the participants were black. The subsequent report by Laming made numerous recommendations related to child protection in England.
Victoria's death was largely responsible for the formation of the Every Child Matters initiative; the introduction of the Children Act 2004; the creation of ContactPoint, a database that held information on the contacts of the various children's services with particular children (closed by the 2010 Coalition government); and the creation of the Office of the Children's Commissioner chaired by the Children's Commissioner for England.
Life
From that point onwards, Kouao fraudulently maintained that Victoria was her daughter. Kouao had originally planned to take another young girl called Anna Kouao, but Anna's parents changed their minds. Victoria travelled on a French passport in the name of Anna Kouao, and was known as "Anna" throughout her life in the United Kingdom. It is not known exactly when Kouao started abusing Victoria. Victoria's parents received three messages about her from when she left them until her death, all saying she was in good health. "Climbie case is 'turning point'". BBC News. 26 September 2001. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
Paris
London
Between 26 April and early July 1999, Kouao visited Ealing social services 18 times for housing and financial purposes. Victoria was with her on at least ten occasions.Laming, p. 39. The staff there noted Victoria's unkempt appearance, with one staff member, Deborah Gaunt, thinking that she looked like a child from an ActionAid advertisement. However, they did not take any action, and may have assumed that Victoria's appearance was a purposeful attempt to "persuade the authorities to hand out money". "Could Victoria have been saved?". BBC News. 11 July 2002. Retrieved 8 August 2010. On 8 June 1999, Kouao got a job at Northwick Park Hospital.Laming, p. 28. During her first month, no effort was made by Kouao or Ealing social services to enroll Victoria in educational or daycare activities.Laming, p. 27.
On 8 June 1999, Kouao took Victoria to a local GP surgery. The practice nurse there did not carry out a physical examination, as Victoria was not reported to have any current health problems. By the middle of June 1999, Victoria was spending the majority of her days at the Brent home of Priscilla Cameron, an unregistered Nanny, whom Kouao met at her job in the hospital.For Priscilla Cameron living in Brent, see "Climbie social worker admits 'shortcoming'". BBC News. 12 October 2001. Retrieved 11 August 2010. There is no evidence that Victoria was treated badly during her time with Cameron. On several occasions, Cameron observed small cuts on Victoria's fingers. When questioned by Cameron, Kouao said that they were caused by razor blades that Victoria had played with. Kouao and Victoria met Ackah on the street on or around 14 June 1999. In what may have been early signs of deliberate physical harm, Ackah noted a scar on Victoria's cheek, which Kouao said was caused by a fall on an escalator. On 17 June 1999, in response to what she had seen three days earlier, Ackah visited Kouao and Victoria's home, and thought that the accommodation was unsuitable.
On 18 June 1999, Ackah anonymously telephoned Brent Council, expressing concern over Victoria's situation.Laming, pp. 85–86. Samantha Hunt, the customer-service officer who received the call at the One Stop Shop at Brent House, faxed the referral to the children's social work department on that same day.Laming, p. 86. Nobody picked up the referral on that Friday afternoon, and what happened to it was—according to Lord Laming, who headed the subsequent inquiry—the subject of "some of the most bizarre and contradictory evidence" the inquiry heard.Laming, p. 87. A few days later, possibly on 21 June 1999, Ackah phoned Brent social services again to make sure her concerns were being addressed. Ackah said that she was told by the person on the other end of the telephone that "probably they social had done something about it".Laming, p. 89. This call, however, did not trigger a new, separate referral.
The first referral was not seen until three weeks later on 6 July 1999, when Robert Smith, the group administrative officer, logged the details of the referral onto the computer, with details of Victoria's injuries. Laming said the delay constituted "a significant missed opportunity" to protect Victoria. Edward Armstrong, the team manager of the intake duty team, said that he completed a duty manager's action sheet not for the 18 June referral, which he said never arrived in his office, but for the 21 June referral, which was a less serious case than the first; Laming called this version of events "wholly unbelievable".Laming, p. 88.Laming, p. 90. Laming said that Armstrong's evidence was out of line with that of the other Brent witnesses, that the quality of it "left much to be desired", and that Armstrong's insistence that he dealt with the 21 June referral was an attempt to cover up his team's "inept handling" of a genuine child protection case.Laming, pp. 90–91.
On 14 June 1999, Kouao and Victoria met Carl Manning (born 31 October 1972) "Chronology". The Victoria Climbié Inquiry. Retrieved 1 August 2010. on a bus which he was driving. This was the start of Kouao and Manning's relationship, which ended at the time of their arrest eight months later. She was his first girlfriend. The relationship developed quickly, and on 6 July 1999, Kouao and Victoria moved into Manning's one-bedroom flat at Somerset Gardens in Tottenham, in the London Borough of Haringey. There is evidence that Victoria's abuse increased soon after moving into Manning's flat.
On 7 July 1999, Brent social services sent a letter to Nicoll Road, where Kouao and Victoria were staying, informing them of a home visit. On 14 July 1999, two social workers, Lori Hobbs and Monica Bridgeman, visited the address but found no answer: Kouao and Victoria had already moved out on 6 July 1999. Hobbs and Bridgeman made no further inquiries at the property, inquiries that might have led to a trail on Victoria's whereabouts.Laming, p. 91. Prior to the visit, they had not done any background checks, and had only the "haziest idea" of what they were investigating.Laming, p. 92. The Laming report suggests that no reports or follow-up notes were made and that the only information additional to the referral were the notes "Not at this address. Have moved."Laming, p. 93.
First hospital admission
The next day, on 14 July 1999, Cameron's daughter Avril took Victoria to see Marie Cader, a French teacher at her son's school. Cader advised that Victoria be taken to a hospital. At 11:00 am the same day, Avril took Victoria to the Accident and Emergency department of Central Middlesex Hospital. At 11:50 am, Victoria was seen by Dr Rhys Beynon, a senior house officer in the department. Beynon took Victoria's history from Avril, and thought that there was a strong possibility that the injuries were non-accidental.Laming, pp. 239–240. He referred the case to Dr Ekundayo Ajayi-Obe, the on-call paediatric registrar. Beynon conducted only a cursory examination of Victoria, as he believed she was going to be examined by the paediatric team. The Laming report said that "he exhibited sound judgement in his care of Victoria by referring her immediately to a paediatric registrar."Laming, p. 240. Victoria arrived at Barnaby Bear ward where she was examined by Ajayi-Obe, who noted various injuries. When asked about the injuries, Victoria said they were self-inflicted, a claim the paediatrician did not think was credible.Laming, p. 241. Having examined Victoria, the paediatrician was "strongly suspicious" that the injuries were non-accidental, and she decided to admit Victoria onto the ward.Laming, p. 242.
The doctors alerted Brent police and social services, and she was placed under police protection, with a 72-hour protection order preventing her from leaving hospital. Kouao told the doctors that she had scabies, and that the injuries were self-inflicted. Many doctors and nurses suspected that the injuries were non-accidental.Batty, David. "Doctor 'suspected abuse'". The Guardian. 12 October 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. However, Ruby Schwartz, the consultant pediatrics and named child protection doctor at the hospital, diagnosed scabies and decided that it was scratching that caused the injuries. She made the diagnosis without speaking to Victoria alone.Carvel, John. "Day that could have saved Victoria". The Guardian. 13 October 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Schwartz later admitted that she made a mistake.Batty, David. "Climbié doctor admits errors put girl at risk". The Guardian. 12 October 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Another doctor, one of Schwartz's juniors, misleadingly wrote to social services, saying that there was "no child welfare issue". When Michelle Hine, a child protection officer at Brent council, received a report notifying her of Victoria's injuries, she planned to open an investigation into the case. However, the next day, she heard of Schwartz's diagnosis and downgraded Victoria's level of care, trusting Schwartz's judgement. She later expressed regret over her actions.Butler, Patrick. "'I was wrong' admits Victoria Climbie social worker". The Guardian. 12 October 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Schwartz said in the inquiry that she expected social services to follow up the case. Neil Garnham QC, counsel to the inquiry following Victoria's death, later said to her, "there is a terrible danger here—is there not, doctor—of social services on the one hand and you on the other each expecting the other to do the investigation, with the result that nobody does".Batty, David. "Mind the gap: coordinating care work". The Guardian. 2 May 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. The police officer allocated to Victoria's case for the Brent Child Protection team, Rachel Dewar, decided to lift the police protection, allowing Victoria to return home, when told by a social worker that she had scabies. Under the Children Act 1989, Dewar was obliged to see Victoria, and tell her she was under police protection, but she did not do this. "PC 'handed Victoria back to abusers'". BBC News. 6 November 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. She also failed to see Kouao or Manning. At the time of the decision, Dewar was attending a seminar on child protection. Garnham later said, "we will need to ask why it was thought more important for her to attend a seminar to learn how to deal with child protection cases than deal with the real child protection case for which she was responsible at the time"." Witnesses to be Called in Week Beginning 5 November", The Victoria Climbié Inquiry, 2 November 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2014 Kouao took Climbié home on 15 July 1999.
Some time in July, probably just before Victoria was admitted to the Central Middlesex Hospital, Kouao befriended a couple, Julien and Chantal Kimbidima. Victoria and Kouao visited their home several times over the following months. According to Chantal, Kouao would shout at Victoria all the time, and never showed her affection.Laming, p. 32.
Second hospital admission
A social worker from Haringey Council and a police officer, Lisa Arthurworrey and Karen Jones, respectively, were assigned to her case, and were scheduled to make a home visit on 4 August 1999; however, the visit was cancelled once they heard about the scabies. Jones later said, "it might not be logical, but I did not know anything about scabies." She said that she telephoned North Middlesex Hospital for information about the disease, but Garnham had evidence that the staff there dealt with no such inquiry. "Climbie officer 'feared scabies'". BBC News. 19 November 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. "Girl died after scabies scared off police". BBC News. 24 November 2000. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Jones was told by a doctor that Victoria's injuries were consistent with belt buckle marks, although she claimed in the inquiry there was no evidence of child abuse.
On 5 August 1999, a Haringey social worker, Barry Almeida, took Victoria to an NSPCC centre in Tottenham, where she was assigned to Sylvia Henry. There was some confusion as to why the centre was being referred to for the case. Henry later contacted Almeida and was told, according to Henry, that Victoria had moved out of the borough, thereby closing the case. Almeida said he could not remember whether this conversation did take place. On the same day, Kouao met Arthurworrey and Jones at the Haringey social services department, and claimed that Victoria had poured boiling water over herself to stop the itching caused by the scabies, and that she had used utensils to cause the other injuries. The social worker and police officer believed her, deciding that the injuries were most likely accidental, and allowed Victoria to return home the following day, which she did. "Timeline: Victoria Climbie". BBC News. 28 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007.Batty, David. "Timeline for the Victoria Climbié case". The Guardian. 24 September 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
Post-hospital events
From then on, Kouao kept Victoria away from hospitals, turning instead to churches. Kouao said to the pastors that she was the mother, and that demons were inside Victoria. The pastor at the Mission Ensemble Pour Christ, Pascal Orome, offered prayers for Victoria to Exorcism the devil, and thought that her injuries were due to demonic possession. "Cleric said Victoria was 'possessed'". BBC News. 8 October 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. On another occasion, Kouao took Victoria to a church run by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, where the pastor, Alvaro Lima, suspected she was being abused, although he took no action. He said in the inquiry that Victoria told him that Satan had told her to burn herself. The pastor did not believe her, but he still believed that a person could be possessed. "Pastor prayed for 'possessed' Victoria". BBC News. 6 December 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
From October 1999 to January 2000, Manning forced Victoria to sleep in a Bin bag in the bathtub in her own excrement. During a later police interview, Manning said this was because of her frequent bedwetting. At Haringey social services on 1 November 1999, Kouao told social workers that Manning sexually assaulted Victoria, but withdrew the accusation the following day. In one of Arthurworrey's visits, during a conversation about housing, Arthurworrey said that the council accommodated only children who were believed to be at serious risk. Laming said in his report, "it may be no coincidence that within three days of this conversation, Kouao contacted Ms. Arthurworrey to make allegations which, if true, would have placed Victoria squarely within that category". Jones sent a letter to Kouao, which was ignored, and no further action was taken. Manning later denied the allegation. Alan Hodges, the police sergeant overseeing the investigation, claimed in the inquiry that the social workers were obstructing the police in dealing with child protection cases. Between December 1999 and January 2000, Arthurworrey made three visits to the flat, but she received no answer. She speculated to her supervisor, Carole Baptiste, that they had returned to France. Despite no evidence, her supervisor wrote on Victoria's file that they had left the area. On 18 February 2000, they wrote to Kouao, saying that if they did not receive any contact from them, they would close the case. A week later, on 25 February 2000, they closed the case—on the same day that Victoria died.
Death and trial
During her life in Britain, Victoria was known to four local authorities (four social services departments and three housing departments), two child protection police teams, two hospitals, an NSPCC centre, and a few local churches. She was buried in Grand-Bassam near her home town.
Kouao was arrested on the day that Victoria died, and Manning the following day. Kouao told police, "It is terrible, I have just lost my child".Laming, p. 37. On 20 November 2000, at the Old Bailey, the trial into her death opened, where Kouao and Manning were charged with child abuse and murder. Kouao denied all charges, and Manning pleaded guilty to charges of cruelty and manslaughter. The judge described the people in Victoria's case as "blindingly incompetent". "Inquiry into Climbie officials". BBC News. 12 January 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. In his diary, Manning described Victoria as Satan, and said that no matter how hard he hit her, she did not cry or show signs that she was hurt.Laming, p. 34. "Victoria carers guilty of murder". BBC News. 20 February 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007. On 12 January 2001, both were found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment. The judge said to them, "What Victoria endured was truly unimaginable. She died at both your hands, a lonely, drawn-out death". Kouao was transferred to HM Prison Durham, and Manning went to HM Prison Wakefield. "Climbié killer to appear at inquiry". BBC News. 8 January 2002. Retrieved 10 October 2010.Judd, Terry. "Climbie killer apologises for the 'sick situation' that led to death". The Independent. 31 January 2002. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
The inquiry was launched on 31 May 2001, "Victoria (Anna) Climbié inquiry is launched". The Victoria Climbié Inquiry. 31 May 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2014. and was split into two phases. Phase one investigated the involvement of people and agencies in Climbié's death, in the form of hearings. Two hundred and seventy were involved. Phase one hearings began on 26 September 2001 and finished on 31 July 2002; it was originally supposed to end on 4 February 2002 but late documents caused delays. Phase two of the inquiry, taking place between 15 March 2002 and 26 April 2002, took the form of five seminars, which looked at the child protection system in general. It was chaired by Garnham and brought together experts in all aspects of child protection.See Laming, pp. 349–370.Batty, David. "Guide: the Climbié inquiry phase two". The Guardian. 27 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
Kouao herself was called to the inquiry, becoming the first convicted murderer to appear in person in a public inquiry.Batty, David. "Climbié murderer to give evidence in person". The Guardian. 14 December 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. She initially refused to answer questions, and when she did, protested her innocence, first in French, then, raising her voice in anger, in English. "Climbie killer disrupts inquiry". BBC News. 8 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007.Carvel, John. "'They did not love their little girl like me'". The Guardian. 9 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Giving evidence by video link from prison, Manning apologised for his actions and said that it was not the fault of the various agencies that Climbié died. "Climbie killer says sorry". BBC News. 30 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007.Allison, Rebecca. "Climbié killer apologises for part in 'sickening' death". The Guardian. 31 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007.Batty, David. "Manning: social services were not to blame". The Guardian. 30 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Broadcasters applied for access to this video, but Laming refused the application.Laming, p. 20. Climbié's parents gave evidence and were present at most of the hearings, becoming distressed when hearing of Climbié's plight and seeing pictures of her injuries. They blamed Haringey council and its chief executive for Climbié's death.
Arthurworrey, a junior worker with only nineteen months of child protection experience when she took on Climbié's case,Batty, David. "'Inexperienced' social worker left to make complex decisions". The Guardian. 28 September 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. was found to have made mistakes in the case.Batty, David. "Climbié investigator widens focus of blame". The Guardian. 5 October 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2007. She accused her employer of "making her a scapegoat", and criticised her superiors and department for not guiding her properly. "Climbié social worker 'made a scapegoat'". The Guardian. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2007. The inquiry heard that Arthurworrey was overworked, taking on more cases than guidelines allow. Carole Baptiste, Arthurworrey's first supervisor, initially refused to attend the hearings, but subsequently gave vague responses to the inquiry,Batty, David. "Amnesia strikes Climbié social work manager". The Guardian. 15 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. and said that she had been suffering from mental illness at the time. "Climbie official had 'psychotic illness'". BBC News. 16 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007.Carvel, John. "Climbié case social worker 'had mental illness'". The Guardian. 17 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Baptiste's own child was taken into care a few months before Climbié's death. Arthurworrey said that, in their meetings, Baptiste spent most of the time discussing "her experiences as a black woman and her relationship with God", rather than child protection cases, and that she was frequently absent.Laming, p. 116. Baptiste admitted she had not read Climbié's file properly. She was removed in November 1999 when she was found to be professionally unfit for her job, and replaced by Angella Mairs, who became Arthurworrey's new supervisor. Mairs was accused by Arthurworrey of not maintaining childcare standards and of removing an important document—which recommended that Climbié's case be closed—from Climbié's file on 28 February 2000, the day the news of the death was known; but she denied this. Mairs said that she had not read Climbié's file. "Manager denies destroying Climbie paper". BBC News. 7 December 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
The inquiry heard that the number of child protection police officers in the Metropolitan Police Service was reduced to increase the number of murder investigation officers because of the Stephen Lawrence case in 1993.Laming, p. 333. A detective inspector supervising six child protection teams in London at the time of Climbié's death wrote a report criticising their competence. His former boss, however, claimed he had been lying when he said he only held "purely administrative" responsibility for the teams.Batty, David. "Climbié detective accused of lying". The Guardian. 14 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. The detective inspector was taken to hospital when a woman poured ink over his head while testifying.Carvel, John. "Ink attack halts Climbié inquiry". The Guardian. 11 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. The new chief executive of Haringey council, David Warwick, "Council boss apologises to Climbie inquiry". BBC News. 11 December 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Baptiste, "Climbie parents reject apology". BBC News. 15 January 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. the Metropolitan Police, "Officers in Climbie case 'scapegoats'". BBC News. 18 February 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. and the NSPCCBatty, David. "NSPCC 'sorry' for Climbié failings". The Guardian. 18 February 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. apologised for their failings in the case.
The 400-page report made 108 recommendations in child protection reform.Laming, pp. 371–384. Regional and local committees for children and families are to be set up, with members from all groups involved in child protection.Carvel, John. "Full-time emergency service required, not bureaucracy". The Guardian. 29 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Previously each local authority managed their own child protection register, a list of children believed to be at risk, and no national register existed;" Child Protection Register ", Kirklees Council, June 2006. Retrieved 5 July 2007 this, combined with local authorities' tendency to suppress information about child abuse cases, led to the implementation of the child database.Gillan, Audrey; Batty, David. "Lack of national register blamed for failure to protect children at risk". The Guardian. 28 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Two organisations to improve the care of children, the General Social Care Council and the Social Care Institute for Excellence, had already been set up by the time the report was published.
In August 2002, Baptiste was fined £500 after being found guilty of deliberately failing to attend the inquiry. Climbié's parents, speaking through a family friend, said, "we, the family, expected her to be dealt with more severely". This was the first time a person had been prosecuted for not attending a public inquiry. "Climbie social worker guilty". BBC News. 27 August 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. In September 2002, Arthurworrey and Mairs were sacked following disciplinary procedures. "Climbie social workers sacked". BBC News. 12 November 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. The education secretary, Charles Clarke, also added them to the Protection of Children Act 1999 List, banning them from working with children. In October 2004, Arthurworrey appealed against her dismissal, saying that she was duped by Kouao and Manning, misled by medical reports, badly advised by her managers, and that she was a scapegoat for other people's failures, but the appeal was rejected. "Climbie social worker fights sack". BBC News. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2007. "Sacked Climbie worker loses case". BBC News. 8 October 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2007. In 2005, she appealed the ban preventing her from working with children and won the case. "Climbie worker's ban overturned". BBC News. 9 June 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2007. This decision was challenged in the High Court but she prevailed. "Climbie worker wins court battle". BBC News. 25 May 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2007. In 2004, six police officers involved in the case faced misconduct charges. "Climbie police to face tribunal". BBC News. 16 July 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2007. All six kept their jobs, and some received reprimands and cautions. "Climbie officers keep their jobs". BBC News. 19 May 2005. Retrieved 5 July 2007. In 2004, the General Medical Council dropped misconduct charges against Dr Schwartz. "GMC drops Climbie doctor charges". BBC News. 8 September 2004. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
Haringey council held a debate in the council chambers to discuss the Laming report. The parents of Victoria Climbié were invited to speak at the council by Councillor Ron Aitken, but the Council leader George Meehan denied them permission. Only pressure from the opposition and local press got the decision reversed. As George Meehan only reversed his decision just before the meeting, a driver was rushed to Acton to escort Francis and Berthe Climbié and Mor Dioum, their interpreter, to the council. At the meeting, the Climbiés attacked the council, through their interpreter, for its handling of the case, especially in its dealing with the Laming Inquiry. (Mor Dioum later went on to be the Director of the Victoria Climbié Foundation.)
The government placed Haringey social services department under special measures, requiring close supervision by the social services inspectorate. Allegations emerged that in 2004 and 2005, senior managers at Haringey council ignored child abuse cases and "became hostile" against a social worker who sought to expose the abuse.Verkaik, Robert. "Climbie council 'is still failing abused children'". The Independent. 20 February 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
Climbié's parents created the Victoria Climbié Foundation UK, Victoria Climbié Foundation UK; Victoria Climbié Foundation UK – About us . Retrieved 5 July 2007 a charity that seeks to improve child protection policies, and the Victoria Climbié Charitable Trust, Victoria Climbié Charitable Trust. Retrieved 5 July 2007 an organisation to build a school in the Ivory Coast. They are also involved in championing many child protection reforms. A playwright, Lance Nielsen, wrote a play based on the events, staged at the Hackney Empire throughout 2002. "Climbié playwright attacks 'cash over care' culture". The Guardian. 15 May 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
After Climbié's death, commentators discussed the history of child protection and the various abuse and death cases, "Q&A: Victoria Climbié inquiry". The Guardian. 30 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007.Brindle, David; Carvel, John. "Anna: the fatal failings". The Guardian. 9 May 2001. Retrieved 5 July 2007. noting that there have been 70 public inquiries into child abuse since 1945, and comparing Climbié's case with that of many others, especially that of Maria Colwell in 1973. They pointed to the many children abused and killed by their guardians over the years and how the agencies involved in their care let them down. They noted similarly that their deaths also led to inquiries and reform policies—reforms that have not saved the many children killed following them. They pointed out that, "an average of 78 children are killed by parents or minders every year; a figure unaltered in the 30 years since Maria Colwell's death provoked the first criticism of 'communications failure'". "Put children first". The Observer. 26 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007. They expressed cynicism towards the possibility that these reforms would be different. "Climbie: Legacy of an inquiry". BBC News. 17 December 2002. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Dr Chris Hanvey, director of operations at Barnardo's, for example, said, "Victoria's tragic case is the latest in a sad roll-call of child deaths, each leading to fresh inquiries and a new but recurring set of recommendations".Chris Hanvey writing in The Observer. "The lessons we never learn". The Observer. 26 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007. Ian Willmore, former deputy leader of Haringey council, said, "the 'script' for this kind of inquiry is now almost traditional. The Minister goes on TV to insist that: 'this must never happen again'. Responsibility is pinned on a few expendable front-line staff, all conveniently sacked in advance. Criticisms are made about poor communication, with earnest recommendations about better co-ordination and possible restructuring. Council officers—all new appointments—go on TV to say that everything has changed since the case began. Everyone looks very earnest. Voices crack with compassion. Nothing essential changes."Ian Willmore writing in The Observer. "An evasion of responsibility". The Observer. 26 January 2003. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
In the United Kingdom, the Audit Commission regulates social services; John Seddon pointed out in The Times that "Haringey Council was rated 4-star at the time of Victoria Climbié and Baby P's deaths".Ford, Emily. "'New way' thinker John Seddon aims at council targets". The Times. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2010.
Some hallmarks of these attachment patterns include putting other's needs (such as the primary caregivers) ahead of one's own needs even if to one's ultimate detriment, the use of false positive affect, and denial of pain. The child's Affect display is geared towards their carer's expectations, dismissing and hiding her own felt need for comfort or protection. False positive affect involves the use of positive affect, or behaviors, when negative affect would be more expected. Overbright smiles while experiencing pain and danger is one form of false positive affect.
Examples of behaviors consistent with these attachment behaviors, and the impacts on the various professionals, are described above. They also include statements such as "Victoria had the most beautiful smile that lit up the room",Laming, p. 1. "...twirling up and down the ward. She was a very friendly and happy child,"Laming, p. 2. and Manning's statement "You could beat her and she wouldn't cry... she could take the beatings and the pain like anything." During her 13-day stay at North Middlesex Hospital, the hospital's doctor responsible for child protection found Victoria to be a "little ray of sunshine."laming, p. 31.
DMM developer Patricia Crittenden commented that while the Laming report pointed out that tell-tale signs had been missed, the signs were present and noticed but their meaning was not understood. Misinterpreted attachment behavior signs can cause professionals to be more easily and unwittingly recruited into a disturbed parent's "story" of the child.
The DMM is a modern update to attachment theory, was not widely known to professionals at the time of Climbié's death, and was just starting to gain circulation in 2000. The A4, A4- and A6 attachment patterns were developed through the study of attachment assessments in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Inquiry
Laming controversy
Obstruction of evidence
Findings of the hearings
Racial considerations
Aftermath
Laming report
Criticism of agencies
Criticism of the report
Other
Child protection changes
DMM-attachment theory perspective
See also
Sources
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Hosted at the Government of the United Kingdom website.
External links
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