THE men at the helm of Birmingham’s failing children’s social services department today vowed to be “absolutely relentless in improving front line services” after a damning internal report revealed “systemic failures”.

The woman who lost her job as head of Haringey children’s services over the Baby P case was left feeling suicidal and facing financial ruin, a court heard today.

The children’s department charged with looking after a toddler who died at the hands of his family was the “worst ever seen”, an Ofsted inspector has said.

Birmingham social services department used ‘inexperienced staff with insufficient management oversight’ who did not meet the needs of the children in its care, a report has found.

The High Court has heard that the children’s secretary, Ed Balls, was unduly influenced by a ‘media witch hunt’ when he decided to sack Sharon Shoesmith.

A social services manager in Yorkshire whose job reference allowed a sex pest to land a job with a Cumbrian youth service has resigned.

A Lincolnshire care home manager has walked free from court after being cleared of neglecting three elderly residents. Elaine Noble, 57, had denied neglecting three residents while running St Michael’s Care Home in Waddington, near Lincoln.

A FORMER teacher in charge of children’s services in Cornwall has resigned, days before the publication of a report expected to find serious flaws in aspects of his department’s work.

A social worker advised care workers who were trying to calm down a distressed autistic man with the mental age of a toddler to have him arrested.

A peer who headed inquiries into two high profile child abuse cases has opened an academy for social workers.