Bichard urges professionals to share concerns

Professionals must feel able to pass on information about
concerns without feeling it will invite problems, Sir Michael
Bichard said this week, writes Sally
Gillen.

Speaking at a conference organised by Community Care,
the chair of the inquiry that examined the failures that led to Ian
Huntley’s appointment as a caretaker, said workers needed to
know “the messenger will not be shot”.

He said senior managers were only as good as the information
they had and it was their responsibility to know how systems,
especially IT systems, worked.

Nervousness about the Data Protection Act meant that in some
cases the data subject became paramount, but senior managers needed
to make sure they got the right balance between the individual and
protecting children.

“That is not something senior managers can wash their
hands of,” he concluded.