Child protection staff praised for progress

ONE of Scotland's smallest councils has been praised for improvements to its child protection services, 14 months after the publication of a damning report by a government watchdog.

Last year, HMIE inspectors identified a litany of serious failings in child protection services in Moray.

The report revealed that vulnerable children were being left in "high-risk" situations because there were inconsistencies and delays in health and council staff reporting concerns about children's safety or welfare to social work services or to Grampian Police.

There were also "significant delays" in doctors reporting cases of possible child abuse because paediatricians at Dr Gray's Hospital in Elgin had failed to follow established child protection procedures.

The failure also led to delayed investigations in cases concerning a number of children who had suffered serious injuries.

But a spokesman for the council said yesterday that staff working across agencies in Moray to protect children had received a "positive feedback" from HMIE inspectors following a week-long follow-through child protection inspection.

Sandy Riddell, Moray Council's director of community services and chairwoman of the Moray child protection sub-committee, said: "

Staff have shown a tremendous amount of commitment and dedication across all agencies to further develop and strengthen their practice.

"It is to their credit that we have made a significant amount of progress in a relatively short period of time."

Superintendent Sharon Milton, the head of Grampian Police in Moray, said: "The feedback is encouraging and will help us to remain focused and maintain the momentum to drive further improvements for children."