ALEX Salmond has called on all political parties to work together to improve child protection.
The First Minister claimed yesterday that the situation was improving and the Government was bringing forward legislation to ensure all children's services had "a strong focus on early-years prevention and early intervention".
Mr Salmond was reacting to a call from Labour leader Johann Lamont at First Minister's Questions yesterday to mount an inquiry into child protection following the harrowing cases in Renfrewshire of Declan Hainey and another case known as Family 10. Alongside this, a recent inspector's report said child protection in the area was "excellent".
Ms Lamont urged Mr Salmond to order a public inquiry "so the public can have confidence that our systems are protecting the most vulnerable children".
She said there was a gap between his rhetoric on child protection and the reality after he had previously hailed the inspection regime as being the best in the UK and "perhaps anywhere in Europe".
She pointed out two weeks before Declan was found dead in his mother's flat, the local authority received a report into another case which "highlighted systemic failures in child protection" there.
Children had been "mistreated to a deeply distressing degree".
Before those cases, Renfrewshire Council had been found by inspectors to be one of the top five councils in Scotland for child protection. Ms Lamont asked: "Can he explain why his best inspection service in Europe, after these tragedies caused by systemic failures, still said that service is excellent?"
Mr Salmond stressed the need for "constant vigilance". He highlighted measures being put in place, including revised child protection guidance for those in the health service.
He said: "We're introducing the Children's Services Bill. The bill will ensure all children's services have a strong focus on early years prevention and early intervention.
"These are the actions of an administration but I hope, as a Parliament, we are not in the slightest complacent about the tragedies that have occurred."
He added: "As we bring forward these measures, I do hope all sides of the chamber will rise to the occasion on behalf of Scotland's children."
Mark MacMillan, the newly elected leader of Renfrewshire Council, backed Ms Lamont's call for the public inquiry.
"Our first duty must be to protect our vulnerable citizens and there is no one more vulnerable than children," he said.
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