The Story of Baby P

Setting the Record Straight

Jones, Ray, Ray Jones

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781447316220
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781447316312
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Work
• Index: Social Sciences

In England in 2007 Peter Connelly, a 17 month old little boy - known initially in the media reporting as 'Baby P' - died following terrible neglect and abuse. Fifteen months later, his mother, her boyfriend and the boyfriend's brother were sent to prison. But media attention turned on those who worked to protect children, especially the social workers and their managers, who became the focus of the reporting and of the blame. This book tells what happened to 'Baby P', how the story was told and became focused on the social workers, its threatening consequences for those who work to protect children, and its considerable impact on the child protection system in England. This is the first book to draw together all evidence available on this high profile case and will make a unique and crucial contribution to the topic. It will make essential reading for everyone who is concerned about child protection and the care of children and about the media's impact. This revised edition contains a new Afterword bringing the story up to date.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of photo credits
• Foreword
• Introduction
• one. The life and death of Peter Connelly
• two. The ‘Baby P story’ takes hold
• three. The frenzied media backlash
• four. The influence of reviews and reports
• five. The story’s damaging impact
• six. The continuing legacy of the ‘Baby P story’
• Appendix: Key reviews and reports
• Postscript