Child protection unit a good start but Government must address root causes of child abuse

5.10.48pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 7th Oct 2009

Commenting on the launch of the Mars child protection unit for Scotland, Liberal Democrat Education and Young People spokesperson Margaret Smith MSP said:

“We are glad that the Government have finally decided to take forward part of the proposals made by the Justice 2 subcommittee report in 2006.

“This is a welcome move in the sharing of best practice. A key finding of the Brandon Muir inquiry was that different agencies failed to work together as effectively as they might have. Hopefully this is improved by Mars, and the expert guidance the service is offering is just what those working in child protection need.

“Ministers must go further and start to tackle the root causes of appalling child abuse cases like that of Brandon Muir. In his case and so many others, drug and alcohol abuse play a huge part.

“We know that across Scotland around 40,000 children are being raised by a drug addict. These children are the most vulnerable in the country. More must be done to ensure these children don’t fall through the cracks.”

Ends.