So the colleagues of the two social workers in the case of John Smith are to ballot for strike action if they are censured and dismissed from their posts.

I say dismiss all of the incompetents in the Brighton and Hove social services. That would mean all of them, as far as I am concerned.

A very close colleague's wife has worked in doctors' surgeries for many years and has seen at first hand the quality of the staff in the social services. She is less than impressed.

Ever since the tragic case of poor Maria Colwell, we have heard every time there is a death that has involved these so-called professional child experts "it will not happen again".

Absolute drivel. It will continue as long as we have these clowns in position.

As a parent, I would have thought any child in care and in the adoption process would be scrutinised continuously, along with the potential adopters, given the history of child abuse in this country.

A good friend of mine has two adopted children so I know how they should be raised and how they should be checked on.

Unison blames understaffing and perhaps there is some truth in this but, at the end of the day, the two case officers did not follow their instincts and accepted the potential adopters' explanation for the bruises and markings on poor little John's body.

If John's birth parents could say there was no history of self-harm, surely alarm bells should have been ringing loudly in their ears.

Then perhaps they would have acted and poor John would still be alive.

-Rod Ackers, Portslade