Social workers who confirmed judge’s ruling that evil Ben Butler posed no threat to tragic Ellie named
Stephen Atherton and Catherine Harris assessed Ellie's family up to SEVEN months before the tot was murdered by her father
TWO social workers who confirmed a judge’s ruling that brutal Ben Butler posed no risk to his tragic daughter Ellie can be named today.
Stephen Atherton and Catherine Harris, of private firm Services for Children, oversaw the six-year-old’s return home after judge Mrs Justice Mary Hogg insisted her dad was completely innocent of an earlier attack on the tot.
And today The Sun on Sunday is backing calls to improve the quality of private companies used by courts.
The role of Services for Children, set up in 2009 by senior social workers Atherton and Harris, emerged this week as Butler, 36, got a life sentence for murder.
He was caged for at least 23 years while Ellie’s mum Jennie Gray, who helped Butler plot to cover up the killing, was given 3½ years.
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Now-retired family court judge Justice Hogg, 69, appointed Services for Children after Butler’s earlier conviction was quashed on a technicality in 2012.
The consultancy, which charges £50 an hour and £75 at weekends plus mileage, began work in July that year while Ellie was living with her grandparents.
After a string of assessments, the company agreed she should return home to Sutton in South London.
They continued to assess Ellie and her parents until March 14, 2013. The tot was killed seven months later.
A Serious Case Review found Mrs Justice Hogg had handed “all the power” to Butler and his partner.
Atherton, 56, and 46- year-old Harris admitted agreeing Ellie should go home, but repeatedly refused to apologise this week.
A spokeswoman said: “Services for Children were originally brought in to manage rehabilitation of Ellie’s sibling with the parents.
“They were to look at Ellie going back — if it was in her best interests. Yes, they did agree Ellie should.
“But they were acting from a judge saying they (Ellie’s parents) were completely exonerated.
“Social workers had restricted access to information about the parents, they did not have a full picture.
“They were told to assess on the parenting and how Ellie was with the family.
“From what they saw, there weren’t any child protection issues.”
A company statement said: “We’ve often thought of the impact of Ellie’s death on her family. We recognise the sorrow they must have experienced.”
Campaigners demanded better monitoring of private firms used by the courts.
Ex-Lib Dem MP John Hemming, who runs the Justice for Families campaign group, said: “Hiring such firms is not unreasonable, but a lot of independent experts aren’t very good.”
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