Labour leader calls for child protection system overhaul

SCOTTISH Labour leader Iain Gray has repeated his call for a more robust approach to early intervention with vulnerable children.

He spoke out after Martin Crewe, head of Barnardo's Scotland, argued more children from backgrounds of abuse or neglect should be taken into care earlier.

Mr Gray, MSP for East Lothian, said: "The safety of children must always come first and if that means more children being fostered, adopted or going into care to protect them, then we must change the system.

"Social workers do a difficult job in sometimes tragic circumstances and they need and will get our support, but as Barnardo's have said, the system needs to be examined and action taken."