Mr John Mundell,
Chief Executive,
Inverclyde Council,
Municipal Buildings,
Greenock,
PA15 1LY.

31^st July 2007

Dear Mr Mundell

Further to my conversation with your office today.

I am writing as the representative of Former Boys and Girls Abused in Quarriers Homes.

We are writing to ask why you as council leader of Inverclyde Council and the Inverclyde Council have failed in its duties to undertake any type of Enquiry into Quarriers Homes past abuse. Such as an Independent Enquiry or an SWSI Enquiry. As the Quarriers organisation comes under your sphere of control and regulation.

McBearty, Porteous, Wilson, Nicholson, Wallace, Climbie, Drummond, all ex-employees of the care home have all been recently convicted in the Scottish Courts of abusing children in-care either sexually or physically. In addition a sibling (Gilmore) of a former ex-employee.

No other care establishment in the UK has had as many ex-employees convicted of abusing children placed in its care.

Quarriers Charity are Scotland's 3^rd largest charity today and continue to care for vulnerable adults and children as such it is important that it is fit for purpose going forward and only a full Independent Enquiry will ensure that.

An Independent Enquiry will also fully establish the facts and understand the causes and failures in the past care system of Quarriers Homes while ensuring that the current Charity's organisation has robust care and protection systems in place today to prevent and minimise a repeat of the past.

There have been recent Independent Enquiries into past issues of abuse committed on children in-care by other Councils in Scotland such as Edinburgh and Fife 2002.

An Independent Enquiry or SWSI into Quarriers Homes residential abuses would enable a full understanding of all the abuse issues pertaining to the care home and its residents & ensure the following:

• An Independent Enquire established would be able to consider what lessons could be learned from children in-care and any further changes that appear to be needed to minimise the risk to children and vulnerable adults in care in the future.
• To review the action of the former organisations senior management and others during the period when children were in the care of the care home.
• To identify what action was taken when children at the time reported abuse or made any complaints.
• An Independent Enquiry should review the internal Social work audit of measures to protect children and vulnerable adults from abuse in care are sufficient and robust enough and advise whether appropriate and effective safe guards are in place and to make recommendations as to future practice where appropriate.

It is simply unacceptable that Inverclyde Council and you personally have not initiated any such Independent Enquiry to date.

We would like you to consider seriously our request for such an Independent Enquiry for the reasons outlined in our letter. There are many more compelling reasons why such an Enquiry should be undertaken with immediate effect.

Yours Sincerely

David Whelan

FBGA (Former Boys and Girls Abused in Quarriers)

www.fbga.co.uk