British children’s secretary Ed Balls has ordered an inquiry into safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in Haringey in London after a baby died from horrific abuse despite being on the local authority's "at risk" register.
He said a report commissioned by the council had found a number of failings of practice and management over the case of the 17-month-old boy who suffered a broken back and more than 40 injuries before his death in August last year.
It was the second serious child welfare tragedy in the borough in recent years following the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie by her guardians in 2000.
"Having studied the report, there is clear evidence that each agency has singly and collectively failed to adhere to the procedures for the proper management of child protection cases," said Mr Balls.
Schools inspectorate Ofsted, the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection, and the Chief Inspector of Constabulary will conduct the review.
In addition the director of children's services in Hampshire would be seconded to work alongside his equivalent in Haringey with immediate effect to ensure proper children's procedures are in place, Mr Balls said.
"I want to prevent these tragedies ever happening again," he told BBC television.
"People have been outraged and saddened," Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters. "Action must be taken to ensure that people feel safe about the children in our country."
Officials said the toddler, known only as Baby P, had been used as a "punch bag" during a campaign of domestic violence and looked like a car crash victim.
His mother, her boyfriend and lodger Jason Owen (36), have all been convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child.
In the run-up to his death, the baby had been seen 60 times by doctors and social workers in the London borough of Haringey but no action was taken because they said the mother had been able to conceal the truth from them.
The council said two social workers and a lawyer had received formal warnings but that no one would be sacked.
Earlier Conservative leader David Cameron angrily clashed with Mr Brown in parliament over what action should be taken to deal with the failures in the case.
Mr Cameron demanded Mr Brown withdraw suggestions that he was turning the death into a party political issue.
Haringey council was severely criticised following the death of Victoria Climbie despite being under the council's protection.
Her killing, one of Britain's worst-ever child abuse cases, resulted in a public inquiry and a radical change in child protection policies.
Reuters