Herbert Laming, Lord Laming, a leading public servant in children's and social care, has died at the age of 89. He was widely respected across political and professional divides, and his work significantly influenced the development of English social services.
Following the murder of eight-year-old Victoria Climbié in 2000, ministers appointed Lord Laming to chair a child protection inquiry. This inquiry, which sat for 18 months, uncovered significant failures in frontline practice, leadership, management, and inter-agency communication.
Lord Laming's report, published in January 2003, criticised senior managers and the London borough of Haringey. His conclusions led to fundamental changes in the organisation of children's services in England, including the Children Act 2004, the Every Child Matters policy, and the establishment of the Children's Commissioner for England.
He was knighted in 1996 and later entered the House of Lords as a crossbench peer. Lord Laming had previously served as chief inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate from 1991 to 1998, where he modernised inspection by integrating service users and lay assessors.