The council normally meets every two months. In two of the intervening months, June and December, we have policy forums which allow councillors to discuss a specific issue which is of importance to the council.

Today’s forum dealt with the issue of Safeguarding Children.

I have to admit that before becoming a councillor, this was a subject to which I dad paid little attention. I’d read about Baby Peter in the newspapers, but had little idea of the scale of the problems and the issues facing all local authorities.

As a member of the Children, Young People and Families Scrutiny Panel, I’ve been introduced to the subject and, with the monthly report card we receive, have started to appreciate the scale of the problem.

Today’s forum gave us the opportunity to consider some of the actual cases (with names changed to protect confidentiality). With the few cases we were able to consider, it could only scratch the surface, but gave some indication of the wide range of cases our social workers have to deal with.

For me this is an ongoing issue with a lot more to learn