Inspectorate publish review of Declan Hainey SCR recommendations
By News Scotland

Renfrewshire Council and independent agencies in Renfrewshire have welcomed the publication of a new report outlining the progress made towards improving child protection services in Renfrewshire following the tragic death of Declan Hainey.

The review has been prepared by the Care Inspectorate, the independent scrutiny and assurance body on the quality of care, social work and child protection services in Scotland.

Following the report’s publication, Renfrewshire Council Leader Mark Macmillan pledged that there would be greater scrutiny of child protection services, and urged that lessons be learned nationally on how children not formally on the child protection register can be helped and protected.

An independent Significant Case Review (SCR) has already been carried out following the death of Declan Hainey.

Action has been taken to implement all 16 of the SCR’s recommendations on improved inter-agency working, sharing and review of information, and new training and management approaches in Renfrewshire.

The Care Inspectorate was asked by the independent Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee (RCPC), which commissioned the SCR, to review the progress that agencies in Renfrewshire are making to implement the action plan which was put in place following the SCR.

The Care Inspectorate’s report found that: “Chief officers, the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee (RCPC) and staff across services have taken the recommendations from the SCR very seriously. They have turned the recommendations into a comprehensive and realistic action plan which targets systems and processes used by staff across services. Chief officers and the RCPC monitor the actions closely to ensure progress is made.

“Leaders have demonstrated, by their willingness to support and empower their staff, that they have a good understanding of the complexities involved in working with children affected by parental substance misuse.

“They have increased resources, provided appropriate training, reviewed practice and procedures effectively and involved staff well in taking forward the action plan.

“Leaders initiated an immediate response to Declan’s death. Across services they investigated and took appropriate remedial action quickly.”

The review concluded that “inspectors are confident that actions to meet the recommendations will continue to be progressed and reviewed for effectiveness.”

Tim Huntingford, Independent Chair of the RCPC, said, “Declan Hainey’s murder was a tragedy. It prompted us to immediately commission a Significant Case Review into the circumstances surrounding his death. That SCR made 16 recommendations. We have acted on all of them and we have acted to improve the protection provided to vulnerable children in Renfrewshire. Inspectors found that services had changed in response to the findings of the significant case review and staff were committed to and actively taking forward these changes. ”

Councillor Mark Macmillan, Leader of Renfrewshire Council, said, “The agencies involved have learned the lessons from the Declan Hainey case and following the Significant Case Review swift action was taken to put improvements in place.

“The Care Inspectorate’s report recognises the progress that has been made and I will make sure that Renfrewshire Council continues to deliver the recommended changes to our procedures.  

“And to make sure everything we do is transparent and open to scrutiny, we will be asking the opposition members on the council to nominate one of their number to sit on the Renfrewshire Child Protection Committee. That will support greater transparency and accountability on this vital work.

“It is also clear that throughout Scotland there is an increasingly serious challenge in how best to identify and support children who are at risk through parental neglect or family breakdown caused by personal problems, drug or alcohol misuse, or issues associated with deprivation.

“I will be calling on the Scottish Government to respond clearly to that growing challenge of the neglect of too many children in our society and to support effectively everyone involved in preventing or dealing with the impact on families and communities.”