The Aftermath

Health Secretary Alan Milburn addressed the House of Commons stating: "This was not a failing on the part of one service; it was a failing on the part of every service."

The whole child protection system is overhauled. A new act of parliament is brought in and new guidance issued to social workers.

The government sets up a regulatory agency, the General Social Care Council, as well as the Social Care Institute for Excellence, designed to promote higher standards of practice. Child protection officers in the Met have had a lowly status as shown by their nicknames, ‘The Cardigan Squad’ or ‘The Baby Sitters’. Their training and relevance is now seen as vital.

Victoria’s father, Francis Climbié, says he doesn’t regard Victoria’s life as ‘lost’ because of the chance it created to change childcare for the better. He and his wife start a campaign to build a school for children in the Ivory Coast. It’s hoped that by providing education there, other parents won’t feel the need to let their children be taken away.

That dream has since become a reality and their newly built school now teaches 360 children. Victoria was finally laid to rest in her hometown in the Ivory Coast.

'Do not let Victoria's death be in vain' - Francis Climbié