Baby P report: The key findings

An independent report into the death of Baby P has delivered a damning verdict on the services provided by north London's Haringey Council.

The 17-month-old boy died after months of abuse despite being on the council's child protection register.

Children's Secretary Ed Balls said the shortcomings included:

• Failure to identify children at immediate risk of harm and to act on evidence. This included a failure to talk to children believed to be at risk
• Agencies acting in isolation from one another without effective co-ordination
• Poor gathering, recording and sharing of information
• Insufficient supervision by senior management
• Insufficient challenge by the Safeguarding Children Board to council members and frontline staff
• Over-dependence on performance data which was not always accurate
• Poor child protection plans
• Failure to implement the recommendations of the Victoria Climbie inquiry, which heavily criticised it five years ago.

The action announced by the children's secretary included:

• Removing Sharon Shoesmith from her post as head of children's services
• John Coughlan from Hampshire County Council to cover her role while the Department for Children, Schools and Families finds a permanent replacement
• Mr Coughlan is also to carry out an internal review of social work staff in Haringey
• Graham Badman, the director of Kent children's services, to take over Ms Shoesmith's role as chairman of the local Safeguarding Children Board
• A new serious case review to be undertaken into the death of Baby P, with an executive summary to be published by the end of March
• The education and children's services watchdog Ofsted to carry out unannounced annual inspections of children's services across the country
• More action to be taken at those authorities in England which have had "inadequate" serious case reviews to show they have made improvements.