THE social worker who warned that Haringey Council was failing to protect vulnerable children six months before the death of Baby P must be allowed to reveal what she knows, according to the local MP.

Whistleblower Nevres Kemal wrote to the social services watchdog The Commission for Social Care Inspection, warning that children were at risk.

This was six months before the death of Baby P from multiple injuries, including a broken back, in August 2007.

But the Commission has confirmed that it met with official from Haringey Council's children's services department - and gave it a clean bill of health, so that no action was taken.

Ms Kemal is forbidden to talk about the case which prompted her warning, because of a court injunction.

MP Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey and Wood Green), whose constituency covers much of Haringey, claimed the injunction was part of the same "culture of closing ranks" which had led to the failures of the social services department in the first place.

Ms Featherstone said: "She must be unmuzzled. She has to say what she knows and that has to feed in to the investigation."

The MP has also tabled a Commons motion calling for a public inquiry into Haringey Council's child protection services "in order to restore confidence in the child protection system in this borough."

She earlier backed suggestions by Children's Secretary Ed Balls that the council's children's services department may be put into special measures, effectively taking it over.

Conservative leader David Cameron has also demanded to know why Ms Kemal's warning was not acted upon.

He said: "If letters are sent with both Haringey and children in the same sentence, then that should have been a real wake up call."

The letters should be published so it was clear what the Commission for Social Care Inspection had been told, he said.

Baby P's mother, aged 27, her 32-year old boyfriend and Jason Owen, aged 36, were convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child under the age of 16.

The trial heard that the boy, who 17 months old when he died, had suffered more than 50 injuries during an eight-month period in which he was seen 60 times by social and health workers, but was not taken into care.

Related links: Lynne Featherstone.

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