Learning from Baby P: The politics of blame, fear and denial

Introduction. 1: The Background to the Familial Homicide of Peter Connelly. 2: The Historical Context of Familial Child Abuse and Homicide. 3: Developing a Psychosocial Approach to the Analysis of the Responses to the Familial Homicide of Baby P. 4: The Socio-Political and Cultural Context of the Death of Peter Connelly. 5: The Narrative About Baby P Emerges. 6: The Identification of a Cultural Trope That Blames Social Workers for Harm to Children. 7: Conclusions and Main Findings. Appendices. Bibliography.

The emotional, financial and reputational impact on Sharon Shoesmith and on the other workers who lost their jobs as a result of Baby Peter's death is graphically described, but so too is the careful examination of society's wish in effect to sanitise familial child homicide. It is easier to publicly blame and humiliate workers (who were working to protect children) than it is to accept that a mother has either caused or allowed her child to die.