The chairman of a body charged with protecting children says it is a “good thing” the organisation has faced five separate serious case reviews in recent times.

John Drew, who heads up the Medway Safeguarding Children Board (MSCB), told councillors it proved the correct mechanisms are in place for those worried about the safeguarding and welfare of children in the Towns.

Serious case reviews are carried out when children die or are seriously injured, where abuse or neglect is thought to be a factor, or there are concerns about how local agencies work together.

MSCB has three ongoing case reviews – the most high-profile being in relation to BBC Panorama’s investigation into the abuse of children at Medway Secure Training Centre in January 2016.

The outcome is expected by the end of September.

Meanwhile, two serious case reviews into the deaths of ‘Dawn’ and ‘Ellie’ have now been completed.

Mr Drew told yesterday’s health and wellbeing board meeting at Medway Council that neither of the two cases reviews pointed “principally” to the council's involvement.

He said: “Serious case reviews take place where there is an acknowledgement that things have gone badly wrong in relation to safeguarding children, and there is a case for giving someone from outside come in and look at what has happened, and put forward proposals in which practice can be improved.

“If you had no serious case reviews in a particular period, you could think that must mean services are doing what they ought to be.

“I don’t necessarily think that five occurring in one particular period is a bad thing because it probably means, among other things, people are alert to things happening and are prepared to expose their agencies and their practices to independent scrutiny. So, I take that as a good thing.”

MSCB is comprised of Medway Council, Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, Kent Police & Crime Commissioner, National Probation Service, Kent, Surrey & Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company, HM Young Offenders Institution Cockham Wood, Medway Secure Training Centre, and the Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service.