Friday 26 March 2010

Shine a light to scatter the darkness

Chris Ridgers
Full marks to Cornwall councillor Chris Ridgers, who chairs the children's services scrutiny committee, and who shocked a few of his colleagues yesterday by daring to mention - in public - two Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) which have yet to be published formally.

The cases concern the deaths of two teenagers in Cornwall, in separate incidents, and the extent to which the various agencies involved might learn lessons for the future. One of the cases is already very well known, having made national newspaper headlines back in July.

Chris spoke about how he had been briefed on the SCRs without in any way breaching any confidentialities. Cornwall's children's services department is used to getting a bad press but actually has many more "good news" stories to boast, if only the culture of secrecy could be broken down.

It could be months, if not years, before these SCRs finally see the light of day. It's not unusual for them to stumble out more than a year after any public inquest. You might expect a journalist to call for openness and transparency - but I really do think a more pragmatic approach to scrutiny would not only help the troubled children's services department to improve, it would also go a very long way to restoring public confidence.

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