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Risk in child protection social work can never be eliminated, Edinburgh Council acknowledged, writes Maggie Wood.

A council report outlining points of action and key recommendations for improving child protection, social work practice and policy was considered by the council following the damning O’Brien inquiry report into the death of baby Caleb Ness in 2002.

The report, 'Protecting Edinburgh’s Children', said council policy seeks to minimise risk for children, but recognised that no matter what steps are taken risk cannot be completely eliminated.

The council will fully support its staff in child protection work, providing they have acted professionally and in good faith, the report said.

The council was also asked to set a target reduction in caseloads for child protection workers from 19 per worker to 14 in keeping with recommendations in the Laming inquiry into the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie. The target for achieving this reduction is March 2006.

Kingsley Thomas, Edinburgh’s executive member for social work, said: “The main issues in the report were to highlight the work that has been done following the O’Brien inquiry report in terms of staff, management practice and quality assurance.

"It is very important however, that the council has acknowledged that there is always an element of risk in child protection work,” he said.

The establishment of a social work standards committee, which was also agreed by the council yesterday is, according to Thomas, crucial at this stage. He said the committee gives elected council members “more of a role, and acknowledges a collective responsibility for child protection”.

Edinburgh Council’s plans to significantly restructure the social work department after the O’ Brien inquiry will be fully discussed at the next full council meeting on 29 April.

However, a cross party children and family scrutiny panel held on Monday agreed that there was little evidence that major structural change was required.

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