New child protection hub launched in Dundee

A national child protection unit has been created, aimed at providing specialist guidance for social workers across Scotland.

The Multi-Agency Resource Service (Mars) is the first of its kind in the UK and will help staff dealing with difficult and complex cases.

It comes after the death last year of Dundee toddler Brandon Muir.

He was killed by his mother’s partner, Robert Cunningham, prompting concerns over the role of social services.

Children’s Minister Adam Ingram officially launched the Stirling University-based Mars unit.

He said its creation would allow those working in child protection to seek advice from specialists with “decades of experience” in the sector.

He added: “There is no greater responsibility than the safety of our children and Scotland is leading the way on child protection measures, with the most scrutinised system anywhere in the UK.

“Nobody can underestimate the difficult decisions which those working in child protection face every day in their crucial role which is why, where particularly complex or unusual situations arise, expertise or advice on successful approaches from far afield is now at hand.”

The social work department in Dundee had been involved with 23-month old Brandon a year before he was killed by Cunningham, the drug addict partner of the child’s mother.

A report into the tragedy found that the attack which led to his death could not have been predicted, but ruled there were weaknesses in inter-agency working.

A wide-ranging examination of child protection measures in Scotland finished last month.

Mars director Beth Smith said it was a “challenging time” for the profession.

‘Most vulnerable’

She said: “Part of my role is to actively promote good practice and I intend to build on the positive partnership work and child protection networks already in existence throughout the country.”

Labour leader Iain Gray said the Mars unit was “well intentioned” but said the system still needed changed.

He added: “We are getting the balance wrong between leaving children with their birth families and removing them from harm.

“The system is too concerned with ‘fixing families’ rather than always doing what is in the best interests of children and their futures.

“Mars is about making the system work. We need political leadership to change the system.”

Lib Dem education spokeswoman Margaret Smith said she hoped the unit would improve the inter-agency problems highlighted in the Brandon Muir report.

She added: “Ministers must go further and start to tackle the root causes of appalling child abuse cases like that of Brandon Muir.

“In his case and so many others, drug and alcohol abuse play a huge part.

“We know that across Scotland around 40,000 children are being raised by a drug addict.

“These children are the most vulnerable in the country. More must be done to ensure these children don’t fall through the cracks.”