A senior manager at the social services department in Haringey, North London, overruled the concerns of colleagues and senior police officers to return Baby P to his mother and his eventual death, it has been claimed.

Panorama will state tonight that Sylvia Henry, a social worker, had decided in December 2006, after Baby P was taken to hospital with non-accidental injuries, that he should be taken into foster care. She was overruled. Ms Henry had arranged a placement, but it was decided after discussions with senior managers that the toddler should be looked after by a family friend instead, according to the BBC programme.

In her witness statement, given to police and seen by the programme, Ms Henry said that she was “very reluctant” to allow the child to go to the family friend, Angela Godfrey, but was bound by the Children Act 1989 to explore options fully with extended family and friends.

In her statement she said: “My impression of Angela was that she believed the local authority was overreacting and that the explanation for Baby P’s injuries were those of his mother’s, that they were caused by rough play and by his head-banging.”

Fearing for Baby P’s safety, Ms Henry had delayed his return to his mother, agreeing with police that the child should remain out of her care. According to the BBC programme, What Happened to Baby P?, however, she was instructed by a senior colleague that the child should go home.

Ms Henry said that she had kept the foster place open but, because there was no evidence for a prosecution, “reluctantly it was agreed that with changes to the home environment in place and all the support services in place with the family, there were little grounds for Baby P to remain out of the care of his mother”.

Haringey has told Panorama that the only consideration in any decision is the welfare of the child. It denies that concerns about the placement of Baby P with Ms Godfrey were raised.

In relation to the claims of disagreements with the police, it said that a rigorous discussion between professionals was to be expected when dealing with child protection and that the police agreed to the final plans for Baby P. Senior police officers have told The Times that they were furious that they were overruled when they wanted Baby P to be taken into care.

The Times has reported previously that, when Baby P’s mother gave birth to another child while on remand in Holloway prison, social workers again argued with the police that she should be allowed to see her baby. They said they “needed to let her bond” with the child and that to do otherwise would breach her human rights.

Police objected and said that she had no right to see the child. A source said: “There was no way that police were going to allow this baby to be looked after by the mother.”

Panorama will also claim that the social worker at the centre of the Baby P scandal was overloaded with child protection cases. Maria Ward was struggling to cope with 18 cases at the time of the toddler’s death. Ms Ward, who saw Baby P at least nine times before his death, has been criticised for failing to see through the excuses that his mother gave for a series of suspicious incidents.

After an unannounced visit in June, Ms Ward finally ordered his mother to take the toddler for a Child Protection Order check-up.

Last night the dead boy’s grandmother told how she was arrested on suspicion of harming Baby P because her daughter had lied to police about how he got his injuries. “I was exonerated the day before he died. If I had realised things were so bad I would have done more to stop it. I blame myself,” the woman, who cannot be named, told The Sun.

Members of the ruling Labour group on the council convened a closed-doors emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the case and the reviews by government bodies. It came as anger among local people over the case grew. In the window of the Hornsey and Wood Green Labour Party office is a poster that states: “Sharon Shoesmith you have blood on your hands. Council-tax payers of Haringey refuse to pay council tax until Sharon Shoesmith is sacked.” Ms Shoesmith, the head of child services at Haringey, has refused to resign.

Yesterday Nevres Kemal, a senior social worker who warned Haringey Council six months before Baby P died that social workers were still not dealing with child abuse cases properly, said more money and resources had to be put into protecting children. In an interview, she said: “What Haringey needs is managers sacked and arrested, common sense to prevail and money put into front-line services.”

Panorama: What Happened to Baby P? is on BBC One at 8.30pm tonight.

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