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Bichard reports need for more action
Children's Commissioner Appointed

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15 March 2005 - Bichard reports need for more action

The head of the inquiry set up after the Soham murders says there is still a "great deal to be done" in implementing his two main recommendations. Sir Michael Bichard reported in June on failures that allowed murderer Ian Huntley to work as a school caretaker.

"Good progress" had been made in implementing most of his 31 proposals.

But the introduction of the national IT intelligence system and the barring system for those working with children were "by no means guaranteed", he said.

Ian Huntley murdered Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman, both 10, in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002. He had worked as a caretaker at Soham Village College.

We are actually on the verge of having... a coherent set of protection measures probably unrivalled anywhere in the world. Sir Michael's inquiry focused on the issue of police forces and related agencies sharing information about suspects.

"We can never guarantee that someone like Huntley will not slip through the net but we can improve significantly the chances of preventing that if all of these recommendations are successfully delivered," he said on Tuesday.

Work done in the last few months had "gone a long way" to ensuring that, he added.

"We are actually on the verge of having, in the UK, a coherent set of protection measures probably unrivalled anywhere in the world.

"But if the national intelligence system and the barring scheme are not in place by 2007 then we will still have fallen seriously short."

He said resources and laws were needed to create the scheme to bar people who should not work with children.
Ian Huntley had been accused of several sex-related crimes

And he said slow progress in the time taken to input details of arrests and summonses on to the Police National Computer (PNC) was "disappointing".

In July, it took forces an average of nine days to enter arrest or summons data, but that was now taking 10 days, he said.

Forces that failed to improve should be "named and shamed", he added. Sir Michael called on the Home Secretary Charles Clarke to keep all the recommendations "on track".

The home secretary said he accepted all of Sir Michael's further recommendations in principle. He added: "I am pleased that Sir Michael has recognised that 'significant progress' has been made."


Sir Michael said he was impressed by improved online training for teachers involved in interviewing for jobs and new policies on entering information on the PNC.

Good progress had also been made on reducing the number of registered bodies allowed to carry out school checks, he said.

But he warned that, however stringent domestic procedures were, it was hard to check out the background of workers who arrived in the UK from overseas.

He called on ministers to "engage urgently" with other countries to increase co-operation.

The Bichard Inquiry was set up after it emerged that Humberside police and social workers in Lincolnshire had an extensive list of allegations made against Huntley which were not passed on to detectives in Cambridgeshire.

Source: bbc.co.uk/news

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10 March 2005 - Children's Commissioner Appointed

The first children's commissioner for England has been appointed. Great Ormond Street Hospital professor of child health, Al Aynsley-Green, was chosen by the government and will start the £100,000-a-year job immediately.

He will oversee a £2.5m annual budget and have the power to look into "any matter relating to the interests and well-being of children".

Prof Aynsley-Green has also been the national clinical director for children in the Department of Health. He promised to make sure that children's opinions "count".

"I will be drawing on my experience of working with children and young people to help ensure that those with the power to improve children's lives do live up to their responsibilities.

"I want all children and young people to know that they can approach me to discuss any matter that affects them, knowing that I will value their opinion."

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly said Prof Aynsley-Green would "strengthen the voice of children and young people".

Prof Aynsley-Green was a lecturer at Oxford University, trained at Guy's Hospital Medical School, University of London; Oriel College, Oxford; and in Switzerland.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have children's commissioners.

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