BY AILEEN MURPHY

Major failings on the part of the health and social services within the Western Area Trust have been identified in an Independent Report carried out following the death of Ederney man, Arthur McElhill, and his entire family in a house fire in Omagh in November last year.

The Independent Report, commissioned by the Health Minister, was released yesterday. It found that the agencies charged with supporting and protecting children had no indication the tragic event was to occur in the early hours of 13th November. However, the Report does highlight a number of worrying developments in the months leading up to the tragedy which claimed the lives of Arthur McElhill (36), his partner, Lorraine McGovern (29), and the couple's five children, Caroline (13), Sean (7), Bellina (4), Clodagh (10), and James (10 months).

Most notably, the Report highlights the failure of the agencies involved to share information about Mr McElhill's previous convictions for indecently assaulting teenage girls.

An inquiry into the fire led police to declare a murder investigation, and while police stopped short of naming Mr McElhill as a prime suspect in starting the fire, they did indicated they were not looking for anyone else in connection with the deaths.

This 82-page, Independent Report makes disturbing reading, and does reveal some facts which should have sent alarm bells ringing within Social Services.

Details are revealed about Mr McElhill's background. The Report notes he had two previous convictions for sexual assaults, both on 17-year-old females. For the first offence, committed in September 1993, Mr McElhill received a two year prison sentence, but this was suspended for three years.

His second offence was committed in September 1996, and saw him sent to jail for three years. He was also ordered to comply with the sex offenders' register for an indefinite period.

In August 1994, when Ms McGovern was 15-years-old, the couple's first child Caroline was born. Caroline was first placed on the Child Protection Register when she was just two years old

It is against this background that Social Services began their involvement with the McElhill family. Contact continued with the family until December 2000 when the Report notes: "It was agreed by all professionals present that the risks to Caroline from Mr McElhill had been significantly reduced through the work with the family and it was therefore decided that Caroline's name should be removed from the register."

The Social Services Client Administration and Retrieval Environment (SOSCARE) case on the family was closed in April 2001. There was no reason provided on the record, for the decision to close the case.

Mr McElhill was also assessed at this time as being, 'medium risk', and this decreased to 'low risk' in August 2004 and remained at this level until his death.

The Report notes there was no Social Services involvement with the family from 2003 until 2007, during which time Bellina, Clodagh and James were born. However, Health Visitors did continue to visit the family.

In April 2007, the spotlight really turned on the family's Lammy Crescent home when a teenage girl, a friend of Caroline's who was not related to the family, began staying overnight regularly with the McElhills. The Western Trust became aware of this in June/July 2007 when a family support worker raised her concern that the teenager was staying at an address other than that entered on the Register.

However, despite social workers visiting the home of the teenager, no action was taken to pursue the matter.

In August, checks were carried out which revealed Mr McElhill had previously been the subject of a probation order, but these checks did not reveal the nature of his previous offending. The Report notes the social worker involved failed to seek the original files which would have disclosed the nature to the previous offending, nor did she take steps to find out the previous circumstances which had caused Caroline to be on the Register.

On 11 September, the police were called to the Lammy Crescent home by Ms McGovern following an incident with the teenager's mother. The PSNI contacted the Out of Hours social work service seeking approval for the teenager to remain at the McElhill's house that night. The Report notes: "This approval was given by the co-ordinator without any checks being carried out."

Just over a week later, police again attended Lammy Crescent. This time, the area's sexual offence Risk Manager informed police at the scene of the nature of Mr McElhill's offending history, after overhearing a police radio report about the incident. Police contacted social services and informed them of this, however no steps were taken that evening to remove the child from the McElhills. This did not happen until the following day, 20 September, when the teenager was removed from Lammy Crescent, six weeks after social services first became aware the young girl was staying in the house.

A month later, the police were back at the McElhills when 13-year-old Caroline called them in a distressed manner about a row between her parents.

Police attended the scene and spoke only to Ms McGovern. Again the Review Team noted on this occasion: 'The PSNI procedures for domestic violence and child protection were not fully complied with in relation to speaking with all parties, including the children'.

Another month passed, and this time the phone call Caroline tries to make to police comes too late. The entire family perishes in a fire at their home in the early hours of the 13 November.

The Review Panel, which was chaired by Henry Toner QC, examined the quality of the professional work of the various agencies involved and identified their failing. As a result of the failings identified, a total of 63 recommendations have been made in the Report.

It highlighted a number of deficits in key areas including:

* communication of information between all agencies in respect of the criminal offences committed by Mr McElhill;

* dissemination of that information within disciplines of the Trust and other agencies and assessment of potential risks posed by Mr 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.