Nursery World - Child protection in the spotlight

* The independent inquiry set up in the wake of the Soham murder conviction of Ian Huntley is to hold three weeks of public hearings. The hearings, which begin in the week of 16 February, will examine how police checks into the former school caretaker's background were carried out and consider wider implications in the case. The inquiry's terms of reference are to enquire into child protection procedures in Humberside and Cambridgeshire, and 'in particular, to assess the effectiveness of the relevant intelligence-based record keeping, the vetting practices in the forces since 1995 and information sharing with other agencies'.

The hearings, which begin in the week of 16 February, will examine how police checks into the former school caretaker's background were carried out and consider wider implications in the case. The inquiry's terms of reference are to enquire into child protection procedures in Humberside and Cambridgeshire, and 'in particular, to assess the effectiveness of the relevant intelligence-based record keeping, the vetting practices in the forces since 1995 and information sharing with other agencies'.

Sir Michael Bichard, who is heading the inquiry, said, 'I will be undertaking this inquiry in an entirely objective and independent fashion.'

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