Report of independent review into Omagh fire tragedy published

An independent report into a house fire in Omagh on 13 November 2007, in which a family of seven died, found that agencies involved with the family had no indication the tragic event was about to occur.

The Review Panel, which was chaired by Henry Toner QC, examined the quality of the professional work of the various agencies involved with Arthur McElhill, Lorraine McGovern and their five children.

It was also necessary for the Review Panel to consider the child protection case of a female teenage child who was not a relation of the family, but who lived periodically with the McElhill/McGovern family for a time prior to their tragic deaths.

A total of 63 recommendations have been made in the report, which highlighted a number of deficits in key areas including:

• communication of information between all agencies in respect of the criminal offences committed by Arthur McElhill;

• dissemination of that information within disciplines of the trust and other agencies and assessment of potential risks posed by Arthur McElhill to teenage girls by reason of the nature of those criminal offences; and

• good practice and management within the disciplines of the trust and other agencies.

Commenting on the independent report, Health and Social Services Minister Michael McGimpsey said: “I know that the McGovern and McElhill families, and indeed the entire community, are still grieving after the terrible event which happened in Omagh last November. My deepest sympathies go out to these families who have suffered the heartbreaking loss of their children and grandchildren.

“This report has some 63 recommendations aimed at all agencies involved in supporting and protecting children and families. While the report concludes there is no evidence that anyone working with the family could have known the fire would happen, there is absolutely no doubt that there were failings on the part of health and social services. I want to see immediate action taken to address the deficits which have come to light.

“To this end, I have directed my Chief Social Services Officer to ensure that all recommendations in the independent review are fully implemented. Furthermore, I have asked that he provide me with regular reports detailing ongoing progress in implementation of the report recommendations. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority will be undertaking an inspection of child protection services across Northern Ireland, which will begin later this year.”

A major programme to reform frontline child protection services in Northern Ireland is currently underway. As part of this reform, £2million has been invested in child protection services.

Over the next three years nearly £15million will be invested in child protection and family support services, of which some £11 million represents investment in new services. At the same time, work to ensure all trusts use the same processes and assessment methods is ongoing.

The minister continued: “By having common standards for both the supervision of social work and the recording of information we can ensure that there is better communication and take action when there is poor practice.

“I intend to introduce a caseload management system over the next few months. This is to ensure that social workers are not having to cope with large workloads which put them under undue pressure and unable to meet the needs of children and families.

“Protecting children and ensuring families in distress have every help and support is a key priority for me and I will ensure that the recommendations in this review are implemented without delay.”

The independent report commissioned by the Northern Ireland Office into the Multi Agency Sex Offender Risk Management Assessment and Management procedures is also being published today.

Concluding, the minister said: “I would like to thank Henry Toner and the members of his Review Panel for producing a thorough and comprehensive analysis of agency involvement in this tragic case and I join with them in hoping that the publication of this report will not add to the grief of the families but rather will help them in coming to terms with what has happened to their loved ones.”

Notes to Editors:

1. The full report is available for downloading.
2. The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority is the independent body responsible for monitoring and inspecting the availability and quality of health and social care services in Northern Ireland, and encouraging improvements in the quality of those services. Information about the RQIA can be accessed at: http://www.rqia.org.uk/home/index.cfm
3. For further information please contact Clare Baxter, DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0636 or 028 9052 0074 or mobile 07919 400248.