The Story of Baby P ― Setting the Record Straight

In 2007, Peter Connelly, a 17-month-old boy living in north London, died as a result of sustained neglect and abuse. Fifteen months later, his mother, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend’s brother were sent to prison for his death, but the media?who called Connelly ?Baby P”?turned their attention toward the health and social workers who had been attending to him and his injuries during the eight months prior to his death. The Story of Baby P goes in depth into what really happened with Connelly’s care and examines the damaging consequences that the media’s treatment of his case has had on those who work to protect children.

Even today the health and social workers who treated Connelly are aggressively pursued by the press. Ray Jones uses this fact to tell a larger story of blame and the media’s role in it, moving from a direct account of the details surrounding Connelly’s death to a look at how the media shifted attention to child services and its failings. He then examines the impact the case and its exposure had on the child protection system in England. The most comprehensive account of Connelly’s unjust death and its ramifications, The Story of Baby P is essential reading for anyone concerned with social services and the real effects of public scandals on the people and organizations caught up in them.

Ray Jones is professor of social work at Kingston University and St George’s, University of London. Patrick Butler is the editor of society, health, and education policy at the Guardian.