The Government’s Social Services Inspectorate has admitted to serious shortcomings over Haringey Council’s controversial attempts to interfere with an investigation carried out by the SSI into Haringey’s children’s services earlier this year.

In a response to letters from Lib Dem social services spokesperson, Cllr Ron Aitken, and Lib Dem leader, Cllr Lynne Featherstone, the SSI has admitted that another organisation, and not Haringey Council, should have been used to assist with or collect the controversial questionnaire.

The move follows the uncovering of the issue by the local Lib Dems and The Guardian newspaper. In a letter to Denise Platt, Chief Inspector of the SSI, Lib Dem Leader Lynne Featherstone accused the Labour-run council of:

1.Making direct contact with the recipients of SSI questionnaires, despite the fact that the information accompanying the questionnaires assured users that they were ‘anonymous’.

2.Offering home visits by council staff in order to “help” recipients to fill in the forms. One person, for example, was rung by Council staff who endeavoured to make an appointment for someone to call round to help her fill in the form.

3.Asking at least one recipient of the survey form if they had brought it along to a case conference.The council had apparently planned to collect the forms rather than have them sent directly to the SSI.

The Lib Dems are now asking Haringey Council to explain why their staff were collecting survey forms, when the SSI has told the Lib Dems: “”there is no need and we do not wish [it]”.

Lib Dem Social Services spokesperson, Ron Aitken, comments:

“This news exposes the disgraceful handling of this matter by Haringey Council. They have claimed the SSI’s inspector was happy with their procedures, but the SSI has now said this is not the case.

“Instead of its usual tactic of giving anything other than a straight answer, Haringey must now explain why its officials were collecting forms that were sent out by the SSI with stamped addressed envelopes and should not have been interfered with.”