£1m needed to avoid more deaths

Casework like John Smith's is not unusual in the city

At least £1m is needed if another tragedy is to be avoided like the death of four-year-old John Smith at the hands of his foster parents, according to a union official.

Trade union Unison has claimed social service care in Brighton and Hove has reached "crisis" point.

Branch secretary Alex Knutsen has revealed that he warned the council a tragedy could happen up to eight months before John Smith died.

The service is so under-resourced now, there's no way management and politicians can say this kind of tragedy won't happen again

Alex Knutsen, Unison

The city council however, argues that in line with the report on John's case, the cash resources issue is secondary to the procedural failings that led to his death.

The report into the case detailed how the root of the failings is a system that does not verify basic information about a couple's suitability for adoption.

Although union officials do not directly link the death of John to under-investment, the pressure it has placed on social workers, they say, has not helped.

Simon and Michelle McWilliam were both jailed for eight years on Monday, for inflicting cruelty on John, who they were hoping to adopt.

The youngster died on Christmas Eve 1999 while being cared for by the couple.

On Tuesday Mr Knutsen said social workers are under huge caseload pressure.

The toddler's body had 54 external injuries

Union members have said they will strike in support of the two social workers, suspended over the case, if the problems are not addressed.

He told BBC News Online: "Social services in the city are in complete crisis.

"The service is so under-resourced now, there's no way management and politicians can say this kind of tragedy won't happen again."

Unison members will lobby the council on Thursday, in the campaign for cash investment.

Mr Knutsen said: "Back in April 1999, several months before John died, the council cut 20 frontline social worker staff positions," said Mr Knutsen.

"At that stage bosses were told by several workers 'Don't give me any more work, I cannot cope with this', but still the work piled up.

Specialist posts

"I told social care and health councillors not to cut the posts, because if they did there was a likelihood that a tragedy would happen."

However, Allan Bowman, director of social services said while the jobs were cut, a change in government policy in 1999 made way for different jobs to be created.

Under the "Quality Protects" policy, the council was able to create specialist social worker posts to cope with certain areas of casework.

"It is rather disingenuous of Mr Knutsen to say the jobs were cut and not replaced," said Mr Bowman.

"We were expected to follow government policy and had to take £400,000 from another budget, and use it for these specialist posts," said Mr Bowman.

Spending assessments

"The money available has now gone up to £1.1m, which is being used solely for child and family work.

"So, as was detailed in the report on the case, this death was principally not about resources, but more about procedural failings."

He agreed with the report's findings that, on at least seven occasions, social workers failed to call in doctors to examine John's injuries.

Mr Bowman added: "This is not say that we're not under pressure, the complexities of the work we do ensures that.

"And I feel that the government's standard annual spending assessment procedures, which is used to set budgets, should be changed to reflect that."

However, Mr Knutsen said: "At least a seven figure cash sum is needed if further tragedies are to be avoided."