The charge of 'whitewash' has been levelled by critics against a report on how children at risk in the Western Isles should be looked after once they become 16.
New policies have been introduced in the wake of the murder of 16-year-old Liam Aitchison from South Uist by Johnathan MacKinnon and Stefan Millar, then both 22, in November 2011. It was the first murder in the Western Isles for over 40 years.
Liam's body was found in a derelict RAF property in Steinish on Lewis after he had been due to appear in court for his involvement in a car accident on the island. I
The multi-agency Western Isles Child Protection Committee conducted an internal review of how Liam had been cared for by public sector bodies. He had been taken into foster care for a period of three months when younger.
The review's findings have just been published, although the 10 recommendations have mostly been either implemented or overtaken by legislation.
They include the Western Isles Council developing a policy for all vulnerable young people whereby multi-agency transition plans are required to be in place when Supervision Orders are removed.
The report also underlines that the controversial Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, now puts a duty on local authorities to support 'Looked After Children ' and young people up to their 26th birthday.
But a local ad hoc group set up to look at the role of the public agencies in Liam Aitchison's life, has condemned the document.
"The Review Group", which includes a retired senior social worker, the operator of independent advocacy services and a journalist/businessman, said:
"The recommendations now finally prised out of Western Isles Council are nothing but a whitewash. There is no evidence of social workers and other agencies accepting responsibility and apologising to the family of Liam Aitchison for failing to look after their son. His parents, family and friends will be angry and traumatised when they read this. Our thoughts and sympathy are with them.
"The council merely spouts a list of recommendations they have come up with. Yet there is no mention of the fact that most of these recommendations should have been implemented up to 11 years ago. "
However a spokesman for the council robustly rejected the criticism saying "This is a self-appointed group which has not been involved in the review at any stage, has no status and its members have little or no detailed knowledge of the subject areas covered. We simply do not recognise their findings as being accurate, balanced or informed."
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