Criticism for 'Climbie' council

The Victoria Climbie case showed a failure of official communication

The London council at the centre of the Victoria Climbie child abuse case has been criticised over its report on the scalding of a two-year-old boy.

He pulled a boiling kettle onto his head, but Haringey Social Services backed his return to his parents.

While it was an accident, an internal review found several causes for concern in the handling of the case.

It accused all the agencies involved of poor record keeping and failing to communicate.

Both the boy, known as Adam, and his twin sister had previously been referred to social services with specific child protection concerns.

Adam had been taken to hospital several times before, the first time when he was 10-months-old with burns.

His mother had been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder with psychotic features, but had discharged herself from hospital against medical advice.

Some of the professionals who were working with the mother...did not recognise the impact the mother's mental health might have on that child Anne Bristow, Haringey Council

BBC Correspondent Angus Stickler, who saw the report, said it was not disputed that Adam's injuries were the result of an accident.

But he said: "All the alarm bells should have been ringing. This was a woman who was in big trouble and needed help urgently and it appears she wasn't getting it."

Adam was returned home with the support of health and social services.

But because of the seriousness of his injuries, a statutory review was ordered into his case.

It found a lack of communication between different agencies and professionals, including GPs and Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust.

The report also details inadequate contact with the child and parents and points out problems with assessment, supervision and record keeping.

'More could be done'

Anne Bristow, Haringey's social services director, said the department's record keeping had improved, but she recognised more could be done.

But she added: "What is at the heart of this case is not the record keeping, but the fact that some of the professionals who were working with the mother...did not recognise the impact the mother's mental health might have on that child and therefore did not trigger the child protection procedures."

The report comes 18 months after a public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie highlighted the failure of Haringey's social services, police and childcare workers to communicate properly.

The eight-year-old was tortured to death in 2000 after the authorities missed a dozen opportunities to save her.

The case led to a shake-up of child protection law intended to create greater accountability among child protection workers.

The report by Lord Laming into Victoria's death said she had been seen by various professionals who did not share information and failed to save her.