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SOCIAL CARE

Southport: Knee-jerk legislation may overwhelm the system

The lessons of Southport need to be learned, says Heather Jameson. 'But there is no lack of legislation – the systems need to work better.....Social services staff need support and back-up to do their jobs, not overwhelm and over-legislation.'

© Family handhouts

When something goes wrong in local government, the consequences can be monumental and devastating. That was certainly the case in Southport, when system failures led to the tragic murders of Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King. 

It is unsurprising the families – and the community – want to know how this could have happened to their children. They want promises there are checks, balances and legislation in place to guarantee it could never happen again.

Heather Jameson

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