Balls denies Baby P report claims

Ed Balls has denied influencing a report into the Baby P tragedy
12 April 2012

Children's minister Ed Balls has denied influencing a report into the Baby Peter tragedy that was allegedly made more critical about sacked children's services chief Sharon Shoesmith.

Lawyers for Ms Shoesmith, who is appealing against her dismissal, said childcare regulator Ofsted came under pressure from ministers before issuing a damning report into the tragedy.

But Mr Balls said: "At no point did I or anybody in my department ever seek to influence the outcome of the independent Ofsted report."

Ms Shoesmith, 57, was sacked from her £130,000-a-year Haringey Council job in December 2008 without compensation after being removed from her post by the Children's Secretary.

It followed Ofsted's final report into the local authority's provisions for protecting vulnerable children compiled after the death of Peter Connelly, who was just 17 months old when he died in August 2007 at the hands of his mother, Tracey Connelly, her lover, Steven Barker and their lodger, Jason Owen.

Documents released by the High Court revealed Ofsted inspectors were told to delete emails relating to their review of Haringey Council in north London. Drafts of the document were among thousands of pages of documents made public after a request by a number of media organisations.

The final report allegedly contains implicit criticism of Ms Shoesmith that was not in the first version. One of the main findings in the published document, not in the earliest draft, reads: "There is insufficient strategic leadership and management oversight of safeguarding children."

Discussing his role, Mr Balls said: "The reality was when the inspectors came to see us they said the situation in Haringey was terrible and they said things in the meeting which were seriously tougher than even the very damning report they published. It was on that basis I acted."

Ms Shoesmith wants the High Court to rule that she was unlawfully sacked from her job. Her lawyers argued in hearings last year that Mr Balls acted "in haste" and sent Ofsted into Haringey for "party political reasons" after the end of the trial of those responsible for Peter's death.

Mr Justice Foskett was due to deliver his judgment in November, but he reopened the case after Ofsted admitted a failure to disclose documents.

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