The head of Haringey social services has denied that social workers were overworked`at time of Victoria (Anna) Climbie's death.

A report in the social workers' magazine Community Care said Anne Bristow told Haringey's policy and strategy committee meeting that she had compared the council's system and methods of allocating looked-after children with a social worker and found that council actually had lower caseloads than in comparable authorities.

"Therefore we are of the view that our social workers did not have excessive workloads in 1999/200," she said.

Her admission contrasts sharply with allegations by trade union Unison that social workers were overworked when the eight-year-old girl died in February 2000. Haringey Unison has attacked the director's comments as "unhelpful" and suggested the council was trying to scapegoat staff rather than focus on systematic failings within the department.

Victoria Climbie died at the hands of her aunt, Marie Therese Kouao and Kouao's boyfriend Carl Manning, in 1998 after months of abuse and neglect. She had 128 injuries on her body and had been beaten with buckles and bicycle chains and been forced to sleep tied up in a binliner in a freezing bathroom.

Kouao, 44, and Manning, 28, both of Tottenham, north London, were jailed for life in January after being convicted of the youngster's murder.

The case was one of Britain's worst cases of child abuse and the youngster died despite being known to social services, police and hospitals who were accused of "blinding incompetence" during the trial. An inquiry into her death is due to begin in September.

See also

Climbie witnesses go into hiding?