An Omagh Inquiry
The Assembly is now clocking off for its Christmas break, although the which is dealing with the transfer of justice powers, may hold some further meetings. If any of you want to watch yesterday's marathon session of the which dealt with the Omagh fire tragedy, you can find it on the
The murder of Lorraine McGovern and her children has already been the subject of But even though Michael McGimpsey has asked the barrister to return to Omagh to check that his recommendations have been implemented, the mood of the Health Committee appears to be that a full public inquiry is now the best way forward.
When I hear some callers to our programmes talk about the need for "heads to roll" I have some misgivings. If I make a mistake on this blog I can normally apologise to whoever is concerned. At the worst, I might face a libel action. I am all too aware that in other professions, often less well rewarded than mine, a mistake can lead to a child's death.
Any inquiry must do more than simply line some lawyer's pockets. There's a danger of creating a self fulfilling cycle in which child protection workers feel overworked and undervalued. If they leave or take time off due to stress where will the recruits come from to take their places?
On the other hand the media silence of some of the agencies involved in the Omagh tragedy has done nothing to build public confidence. There appear to be tough questions for various agencies, including the police, to answer over their response to the cry for help from Caroline McElhill and the questioning of Arthur McElhill over an attempted incenmdiary attack.
Today the local branch of the British Association of Social Workers has come out in support of a public inquiry which it argues should not be used "as a witchhunt looking to blame certain professions but rather as an exercise to look at where failings or shortfalls occurred and to decide on measures that will improve the service offered and prevent a similar tragedy happening again."
So perhaps an inquiry is the best option. Certainly the appalling fate of the McElhill children is every bit as heart rending as the abuse of Baby Peter. Even as I write this piece my colleague Julian Fowler is broadcasting about another dreadful breaking story concerning an assault on a 15 month old child. The details in relation to this incident remain unclear, but once again it emphasises the dreadful burden carried by those charged with protecting vulnerable children within our society.
I'm 
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