The Care Inspectorate has made the following statement after publication of the Sheriff's determination following an inquiry held in Paisley into the death of Declan Hainey.
Annette Bruton, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate said:
"Declan's death was shocking and extremely distressing, and provoked deep sadness across Scotland. The outcome of this Fatal Accident Inquiry poses serious questions for all agencies involved and we welcome the Sheriff's recommendations.
"In 2012, the Care Inspectorate assessed the ways in which the relevant agencies in Renfrewshire had acted upon the recommendations of the Significant Case Review following Declan's death.
"We found that chief officers, the Child Protection Committee and staff across Renfrewshire took those recommendations very seriously, and implemented changes diligently. We also advised the Chief Officers that following the conclusion of the FAI we would return to undertake a full joint inspection of services for children and young people across Renfrewshire using our new inspection model. This was welcomed by the Chief Officers. This joint inspection involving Healthcare Improvement Scotland and Education Scotland will now commence shortly, and we will maintain a focus on vulnerable children, including children in need of protection.
"During these joint inspections, we routinely look at a number of the recommendations made by the Sheriff in this tragic case, particularly how children are supported by social workers, how vulnerable children get the help they need, how agencies work together and how staff are trained.
"We expect children who are at risk to have regular and appropriate contact with social workers, health visitors and professionals, and support the Sheriff's call for notifications of concerns to be addressed robustly by those responsible for protecting children.
"The issue of sharing medical information is complex, but agencies responsible for protecting children must have all the information they need to make a full assessment of what is in the interests of a child. There must be effective working between professionals protecting vulnerable children and adults so that appropriate assessment, protection and care can be delivered and monitored.
"GPs play a critical role, in a network with other professionals, in protecting children. We expect all professionals involved to have suitable training in child protection."
The determination can be viewed here:
http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/search-judgments/judgment?id=bcb1a7a6-8980-69d2-b500-ff0000d74aa7