Social workers have warned they cannot keep vulnerable children safe as the murder of a 10-month-old baby highlights flaws in the struggling care system.

A scathing review into Finley Borden’s murder concluded on Wednesday that protective measures were “inadequate” and “professional intervention should have protected him”. The boy’s parents, Shannon Marsden and Stephen Boden, inflicted 130 injuries on their son before he collapsed and died at his home in Derbyshire on Christmas 2020, just weeks later , the child was returned to their care.

This criticism is based on exclusive research conducted by: independent The Social Workers Union (SWU) has revealed the social services sector is “on the brink of collapse”.

The data showed that 92% of social workers surveyed believed children would be better protected if caseloads were smaller, with 58% saying their caseloads were unmanageable. That perception has not improved since the last survey in 2022, shortly after the country emerged from the pandemic.

The SWU said more funding is urgently needed to tackle the issue and the pressures faced by social workers have yet to be addressed.

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John McGowan, general secretary of South West University, said: “There has been a systemic failure to address the pressures social workers face. Yes, look at what happened in this tragic case, but don’t base your judgment on The outcome of any potential review will be judged by the industry as a whole.

“More funding is urgently needed. Most social workers do not have enough time to carry out individual assessments due to work demands.”

The survey found that 40 per cent of 716 respondents believed appropriate action had not been taken after they raised concerns about a child they had come into contact with in the past 18 months, with a third of respondents ( 29%) stated that there had been an inadequate response to more than 5 cases.

One union member said they worked with the parent of a 17-year-old who was repeatedly denied care due to a huge caseload and a lack of qualified social workers, saying her child suffered serious harm as a result of neglect .

The tragic cases of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes highlighted the need for changes to the children’s social care system, triggering three reviews – one It found local services “routinely” ignored relatives’ warnings – and the government subsequently launched a landmark strategy to repair the sector last year, despite admitting independent The action didn’t go far enough this week.

In the case of 16-month-old Star, her family warned social workers she would become “another Baby P” and said “little Star will eventually become a star in the sky.”

In September 2020, the little girl was beaten to death by her mother’s girlfriend, Savannah Brockhill. Her mother, Frankie Smith, was also found guilty of causing or allowing her death.

In the case of six-year-old Arthur, his grandparents raised concerns with authorities about his bruises in April 2020. Less than two months later, Arthur died after suffering an “unsurvivable brain injury” while at home with his father’s partner Emma. Tustin is located in the West Midlands.

According to government figures, the average caseload for children’s social workers was 16 in 2023, compared with 16.6 the year before, but a 2022 poll by Community Care found the average caseload was 25.6. According to one local authority’s policy, there should normally be a maximum of 22 social workers.

Abigail Gill, deputy director of policy and public affairs at the NSPCC, said vulnerable children and families were losing important services as social workers faced “huge” pressures from rising caseloads, tight budgets and a lack of comprehensive training. safety net. care system.

Data shows that nearly nine in 10 social workers (86%) experience stress due to their work, up from 82% in 2022. In 2023, there were approximately 109,900 social workers in the UK, nearly 15,000 fewer than in 2022. Statista estimates that by 2021, this number will reach 124,500.

Mr McGowan said: “These figures highlight that the profession is on the verge of collective collapse. Working conditions are not improving, social workers’ mental health is suffering and there is a lack of resources and support to support their normal work.”

He called on the government to increase funding for public services, otherwise he feared those in need would face “dangerous and serious” risks.

Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labor MP for Salford and Eccles, said: “What is clear from these shocking findings is that almost fifteen years of Tory austerity Policies have destroyed our social services… Vulnerable people face the devastating consequences of this austerity, denying them access to the support they desperately need.”

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: “Social workers play a vital role in protecting the most vulnerable children and families and total spending on children’s social care increased to £12.2 billion in 2022-23, up from £10.8 billion the previous year. .

“There are currently record numbers of children and family social workers, but we know there is more to do. We will continue to work with the sector on early intervention, continue to increase staff numbers and increase the number of children’s homes across the country. “