So Robin McCormack (Letters, October 25) is "disgusted" Unison is supporting the two social workers at the centre of the case of John Anthony Smith.

Unison members are as shocked, horrified and angered by the tragic death of that little boy as everyone else is.

However, we will not stand by and see two dedicated professionals scapegoated and victimised for the crisis of funding and morale in social work both in this city and across the country.

To be specific, Brighton and Hove Unison warned in April 1999 that Brighton and Hove City Council's decision to cut 20 front-line social work posts could have serious consequences for child protection in the city.

At the time, our concerns were dismissed by senior councillors as "scaremongering" and "shroud-waving". Of course, it was in December 1999 that John Smith met his tragic death.

That cut was only the latest of 21 years of continued cuts in resources.

Our members in the Social Care and Health Department have been saying for years they cannot continue to take on more and more casework without serious problems occurring unless the resources were properly addressed. Again, those concerns were ignored or dismissed.

The other major crisis in social work is one of recruitment, particularly acute here in Brighton and Hove.

People do not want to be social workers (is this surprising?) and we have the added problem that many public-sector workers now find it impossible to afford to live here.

I do not wish to get into the detail of the actions of Dave Pamely and John Barrow - everyone seems happy to sit in judgement of them without actually having heard from them.

I work in local government and I hope I never have to do the kind of job with such a weight of responsibility and where my decisions can have such far-reaching consequences. I wonder how many readers of The Argus would?

If you tried to do your job to the best of your abilities and something went horribly wrong and you unfairly got the blame, I am sure you would expect your union to defend you - and quite rightly so.

That is simply what Brighton and Hove Unison is trying to do.

-Andy Richards, Chairman, Brighton and Hove Unison, Town Hall, Brighton