A management solution to keeping children safe: Can agencies on their own achieve what Lord Laming wants?

The Laming Report was written in an atmosphere of high emotion and moral outrage. Its analysis suggested that much of the blame for the tragedy of Victoria Climbie rested on the organisation of social services and the mistakes of individual professionals. Understandably, it put forward proposals for organisational change and additional supervision of workers in the belief that this would greatly reduce risk.

This report argues that the evidence does not support that analysis and that the recommendations are likely to be ineffective or harmful. It suggests that what is required is a combination of measures designed to create a more feasible role for social services, backed by a more appropriate philosophy and a less adversarial relationship with their clients. Adequate resources and high-quality services and workers are essential, and will not be achieved through organisational change.

Two related publications are also available:

• Children on the edge of care by Jenni Morris
• Resilience and young people leaving care by Mike Stein

Available in electronic format only.