The deaths of three-year-old Kennedy McFarlane, in Dumfries and Galloway in 2000, and Caleb Ness, the 11-week-old Edinburgh baby killed in 2001 by his brain-damaged father, led to much soul-searching in social services departments. They have also shaped the Scottish Executive's own reforms of the country's child protection services.
Peter Peacock, Scotland's minister for education and young people, says the executive is doing its utmost to prevent similar cases from occurring again. "We are not going to let anything get in the way of improving this and whatever actions we need to take, we will take," he says.
The three-year plan was announced by First Minister Jack McConnell two years ago, and last week the Scottish Executive launched a Children's Charter and a framework for standards in child protection.
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