Former children's services director Sharon Shoesmith went to a tribunal today to support two of Baby P's social workers as they launched an appeal against a "perverse" employment tribunal ruling that they were fairly sacked.
Ms Shoesmith joined Gillie Christou and Maria Ward at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in the City as lawyers for both social workers began an attempt to overturn a tribunal judgment that the local authority acted reasonably in dismissing them because of serious failings in their care of the toddler.
Lawyers for Mrs Christou and Ms Ward have claimed they suffered "double jeopardy" because they faced two Haringey misconduct panels looking at the same allegations against them.
They claim they were unjustly fired by Haringey in response to public outcry about the little boy's horrific death.
Peter Connelly was 17 months old when he died in a blood-spattered cot in Tottenham on August 3, 2007. He had suffered more than 50 injuries despite being on the at-risk register and receiving 60 visits from social workers, police and health professionals over eight months.
Ms Ward was Peter's nominated social worker at Haringey from February 2007 until his death, and Mrs Christou was her team manager. The pair were sacked after an investigation which discovered there was a period in mid-2007 when they did not know where the child was.
Their lawyers are expected to argue that their case has been bolstered by a landmark Court of Appeal ruling last May that Ms Shoesmith was unfairly sacked as Haringey's children's services director.
