The violent death of an infant raises questions about child protection, writes DAN KEENAN
THE MURDER of 15-month-old Millie Martin has put the spotlight again on child protection and social services in Northern Ireland.
The Western Health and Social Services Trust, which has responsibility for health and child protection services across western counties, is already under scrutiny following the fire which killed all seven members of the McGovern-McElhill family in Omagh, Co Tyrone, two years ago.
Similarities between the two cases are being raised and some are asking did Millie Martin and the five McElhill children and their mother die because state bodies did not identify the level of risk they faced?
The inquest into the Omagh deaths, which concluded only last week, raised questions about the protection for vulnerable children.
The inquest findings led Health Minister Michael McGimpsey to order a leading QC who investigated the case to make a follow-up investigation and to ensure earlier child protection recommendations were being implemented.
Pressure is also growing for an inquiry along the lines of the Ryan and Murphy reports in the Republic. One solicitor estimates the numbers of children affected runs into thousands.
Henry Toner QC’s investigation last July into the Omagh fire produced 63 recommendations. Some 54 of these related to the Western trust and the board claims that all but one of these are being acted upon to date.
Whatever about these statistics, the pressure on social services is rising dramatically right across the North with both state and social workers’ bodies pointing to the growth in demand for services.
Mr McGimpsey’s department admitted last week that the number of referrals had jumped by a quarter in just the past five years alone. Some 530 were made last year, causing the department to boost spending on services by some £20 million.
Announcing the extra resources, the Minister said: “Despite the significant workload and very difficult circumstances, our social workers face every day they continue to work tirelessly to help and support vulnerable children and families.”
He referred to “good and even excellent practice” right across Northern Ireland. But he also admitted: “There are deficits we need to understand . . . and take immediate steps to address them.”