The Chair and Panel make the following recommendations, which arise directly from this investigation. Other local authorities should consider the issues identified in this report and take action as appropriate to their own circumstances.
Lambeth Council and the Metropolitan Police Service should each publish its response to these recommendations, including the timetable involved, within six months of the publication of this report.
Lambeth Council should develop and publish a comprehensive action plan which details the actions that it will take in response to the issues raised throughout the Inquiry’s investigation report. The action plan should be developed and published within six months of the publication of this investigation report, and should be accompanied by timescales for completing identified actions as soon as possible.
All Lambeth Council elected members should receive training on: (i) safeguarding and (ii) corporate parenting. Newly elected members should receive training on these matters as soon as possible following their election. Training should be mandatory and repeated on a regular basis.
The training content should be regularly reviewed and updated.
Lambeth Council should review the application of recruitment and vetting procedures for all current foster carers directly provided by Lambeth Council, to ensure that the procedures have been followed correctly.
In addition, Lambeth Council should seek assurances from external agencies and other local authorities, in which children in the care of Lambeth Council have been placed, that recruitment and vetting procedures have been followed correctly for all foster carers and residential children’s homes’ staff working with children.
The Metropolitan Police Service should consider whether there are grounds for a criminal investigation into Lambeth Council’s actions when providing information to the coroner about the circumstances surrounding LA-A2’s death.