By Tim Donovan
BBC London's Political Editor
Sharon Shoesmith was widely praised for her work transforming schools in Haringey, one of the poorest parts of the UK.
But the Baby Peter case brought an abrupt and painful end to a 35-year career.
She was sacked without compensation and pension and for the last 18 months has been signing on, helped out by loans and from friends. It's highly unlikely that she will get another job in the same field, but she has yet to find a suitable alternative.
For a while her local job centre in north London allowed her to visit out-of-hours because of the campaign against her in the media.
Seven years ago she was part of the solution, being sent into to help Haringey's schools as part of an intervention team employed by contractor Capita.
Within two years she had been made the borough's director of education, and following a re-structuring, became the council's first director of children's services on a salary of more than £130,000 a year.
Under her leadership, Haringey claimed to have the highest proportion of 'good' or 'outstanding' schools in London.
Headteachers in the borough were furious at the manner of her departure, though critics locally say she was hampered in the post by having no social work background.
That was not unlike dozens of former town hall education officials who became newly-created directors of children's services after 2004. But some experts say the trend has removed vital child protection experience from the top tier of local authorities.
Nothing could have prepared her for the publicity and pressure which resulted from the case, even though she'd taken over at an authority reeling from a similar tragedy, the death of Victoria Climbie.
Haringey's leader George Meehan and chief executive Ita O'Donovan originally stood by her. But under enormous pressure they too decided she needed to go to restore confidence in the authority.
Ms Shoesmith admits that - despite intense preparations and media training - she was ill-equipped to deal with the hostility of journalists at a press conference convened after the three people were convicted over Baby Peter's death last November.
'Unprecedented'
The council's attempts to portray the complex circumstances around the toddler's death were drowned out by reports that Ms Shoesmith had repeatedly refused to apologise for the tragedy.
In fact, in her opening remarks and in subsequent interviews she offered condolences to Peter's father and family, and said the council had written to them previously doing the same.
Neither would her previous role as an HMI inspector herself - experienced at probing schools and local authorities - have prepared her for the emergency Ofsted inspection of her own department which followed.
In its haste, focus and intensity, it was unprecedented.
Ms Shoesmith was born in Belfast and spent much of her career in the north of England. A former head teacher, she went on to specialise in special educational needs provision, working for local authorities including York, Trafford and Sheffield.
In the close knit world of the country's childcare professional class, the fall from grace is merciless. Many of the civil servants, inspectors and local government officials who have played a role in her downfall were people with whom she had been well-acquainted.
BBC News
