Liam Fee tragedy had moved 'beyond Named Person stage'

The Children's Commissioner says murdered toddler Liam Fee was in the child protection system way beyond the "early intervention" measures intended by the Named Person policy.

The Scottish government is introducing plans to assign a single point of contact to look out for the welfare of children.

Some questions have been raised about a pilot scheme running in Fife, where two-year-old Liam Fee was murdered by his mother and her partner after a catalogue of abuse.

But Children's Commissioner Tam Baillie has insisted the issues cannot be connected because child protection services had already been alerted to concerns.

Mr Baillie told the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland programme: "There are debates around Named Person, whether it's a good thing or a bad thing or not, but that's quite separate from those children who are already identified where there are serious concerns."

He also revealed he had not not yet looked into how any point of contact with Fife Council had worked, but again said he believed that the early intervention stage had already been passed with Liam.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Conservatives are calling for a "proper hearing" of concerns about the policy at a debate in Holyrood.