THE chairman of Lancashire's social services said today she did not intend to resign after severe criticism following the death of a baby who was drowned by her mother.

A draft report into the death of four-month-old Emma Jade Dyson has revealed care workers made five critical errors leading up to her death in the Leeds and Liverpool last March.

But Coun Doreen Pollitt, chairman of Lancashire's social services committee, today said recommendations into changes of policy, practices and personnel had been acted upon and everything possible had been done to try to ensure that no similar tragedy happened again.

The death was the third involving a baby under social services care in four years but Coun Pollitt said she did not intend to resign and that the new head of child care, Jill Rigg, had been appointed in an unrelated shake-up of personnel some time after the tragedy.

Mrs Pollitt said: "We have to put our hands up and admit we failed by not putting forward support for the family when the husband returned to work.

"I don't intend to resign and I feel there is no reason that anyone else should be asked to resign."

Baby Emma Jade died on March 14 last year when her mum Rabina, who had been receiving treatment for mental health problems, threw her into the canal close to their home in Clare Street, Burnley.

She later admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was placed in a secure hospital.

The interim report said more care should have been taken over the case, social services failed to support the family, that Rabina's threats to harm her child were not acted upon, health and social workers failed to pass on information to each other and the mother and child were left on their own in the run-up to the tragedy.

It has led to health watchdog chairman, Frank Clifford, calling for heads to roll.

Only 10 days before Emma Jade's death, Coun Pollitt said agencies needed to get their act together following other child deaths.

In 1996, five-month-old baby Levi Rose was killed by his parents Christopher Rose, 20, and Kelly Catlow, 19, at the home in Cronkshaw Street, Burnley, they had moved to from Huncoat. Rose and Catlow were sentenced to six years and three and a half years respectively for manslaughter and child cruelty.

Two years ago, Glenn Shackleton, formerly of Blackburn, was jailed for seven years after admitting the manslaughter of his 16-month old son Jack and cruelty to his twin brother Adam at their home in Abel Street, Burnley.

His wife Georgina Shackleton, 23, who had moved to Sherwood Road, Blackburn, after the death, was jailed for 12 months after admitting cruelty.

Coun Pollitt said: "It is true there have been three sad baby deaths in Burnley, Levi Rose, Jack Shackleton and now Emma, three deaths which obviously rang a lot of alarm bells."

She said that after Emma's death they commissioned an independent consultant to undertake a review of child protection issues.

She said managers of child protection services in the area were replaced and are no longer working on child protection issues.

Mrs Pollitt said: "There are new people now in there with different policies put into place to try to stop anything like this ever happening again.

"There can be no guarantees -- in child protection cases that would be impossible -- but we can and should be doing better."

Mrs Pollitt added: "We are satisfied that all we can do to improve the service we are now doing, but I cannot give 100 per cent assurances.

"The day before the mother threw the baby into the canal she was visited by a community nurse. That day she seemed OK. But something snapped and the next day the tragedy happened."

Mrs Pollitt said there were now waiting for the outcome of an enquiry by the East Lancashire Health Authority into the way Emma's mother was treated for her mental health problems.

When that was known the social services interim report would be reviewed in the light of its findings.