One sided

Another one of those “it will happen in England but possibly not in Wales” scenarios emerges with a government announcement of an independent review of child protection and social work. The review will examine ways of cutting bureaucracy and consider means of improving links between social workers and other agencies like the police.

Children's Minister Tim Loughton has already written to all local authorities in England telling them that the full details of all serious case reviews undertaken into crimes against children will be published in future - a move designed to shine a spotlight on childrens safeguarding boards and the statutory bodies who are suspected of using them for cover. 

The move contrasts sharply with current arrangements in Wales which recently allowed Swansea Council to bundle heavily edited ‘executive summary’ reports into the unrelated deaths of three teenagers. A strong suspicion remains that this was done to obscure the true extent of departmental failings that led to one of the deaths.

It will be instructive to see if Con-Dem counterparts in the Senedd press for the devolved  Welsh health and social services regime to emulate the same standards of openness and accountability.