7 Tottenham Child and Family Centre

Paragraphs: 7.33 - 7.36

What should have been done?

7.33

The value of such opportunities was graphically illustrated by the evidence given by Ms Henry and Ms Watson as to what Ms Henry would have done had she followed up Victoria's case in accordance with her usual practice and the family centre's established procedures.

7.34

The family centre's performance indicators required that initial assessments be completed within six weeks of the receipt of the referral. However, both Ms Henry and Ms Watson agreed that a shorter period would be appropriate in cases such as Victoria's, which had been clearly identified as urgent.

7.35

Therefore, at some point well before the end of September, Ms Henry would have carried out an initial assessment of Victoria's situation. I was told that this would have involved the making of further inquiries of social services as to the circumstances of the case, together with a home visit carried out by a member of the family centre's staff. On the basis of the information obtained during the course of such a visit, the family centre staff would have considered how best to support Kouao and Victoria. This may have involved regular home visits or the enrolment of Victoria in some form of daycare activity.

7.36

The potential impact of such support in the context of Victoria's case is self-evident, and it is a matter much to be regretted that she never benefited from the expert attention of either Ms Henry or any other member of the family centre staff.

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