The National Children's Bureau's study on safeguarding arrangements between hospitals and children's social services should alarm anyone involved in child protection (news, p4).

Read: Teachers need more help with autistic children.

It happens over and over again, when will those so called professionals stop falling bacxk on professionalisation, in that there is complicit support for those that seek to cover up or ignore situations like this, and start being those 'child protective' professionals that are getting paid to do the job. It doesn't matter if, thank god, you get it wrong, and there is no abuse, The concern is enough, surely. Fred Brown

Fred is right, better to get it wrong and cause a few ruffled feathers than to hear of another Victoria or Baby P. Not an easy job - but that is why these people are professionals, and MUST have the skills and the support needed. It is time for the departments to sort out their deadwood, someone has to be responsible.

As a "professional" involved in safeguarding children I must put my view forward. Unfortunately in Great Britain children are not valued as much as they should be. Support services cost money , salaries have to be paid for out of taxes.I know of a manager who has been asking for an increase in her staff every month without success. Please lobby your local authorities and be prepared to pay a higher sum in local rates . I agree something should happen but we all need to accept that children are more important than alot of the bureaucracy that is happening at the moment. With every new law less money is being put into the front line staff.Sheila Sheppard