Baby P social workers to face panel

Two social workers at the centre of the Baby Peter tragedy are to be charged with misconduct, it has been announced.

The General Social Care Council (GSCC) said Maria Ward and team manager Gillian Christou would appear before a disciplinary council this week, charged with numerous breaches of best-practice guidelines.

Ms Christou faces allegations of poor record keeping, a failure to document evidence for a risk management plan and failure to ensure a child protection strategy was followed.

Ms Ward is charged with similar offences.

Neither woman is under any obligation to appear at the hearing, a spokesman for the GSCC said.

The organisation launched a formal investigation into the conduct of the pair in November 2008, just days after three people, including Peter Connelly’s mother Tracey Connelly, were convicted of causing or allowing the child’s death.

Haringey Council sacked both women last year. The social work regulator also used an interim suspension order to ban the pair from practising for 17 months, although a GSCC independent panel has since rescinded the ruling.

The 17-month-old boy died in a blood-spattered cot in August 2007 after spending much of his short life being used as a punchbag.

Social workers, police and health professionals failed to save him despite 60 visits over eight months, during which time he suffered more than 50 injuries.

A spokesman for Haringey Council said: “This is a matter for the GSCC.”