The BBC's Social Affairs Editor Niall Dickson asks what more can be done to protect children.

Will the independent report tell us anything we don't know?

No, I don't think it will. It is almost 30 years exactly since Maria Colwell died. That was really the first time we woke up to the horrors behind the lace curtains.

She was seven, she too was painfully thin, she had been subjected to a terrible beating.

The Daily Mirror at the time said that between April and December 1972 there were some 50 official visits to her home.

There were 30 complaints from neighbours. That caused a huge scandal and led to the first big inquiry.

Poor old Ainlee was left with those violent parents

These people had complained because she had been moved from a happy foster home and returned to her natural mother.

A social worker had visited after complaints and not done anything

Also her teacher had said: 'hey, there's something terrible going on here'.

And yet nothing was done.

There was failed communication, ignored warnings from neighbours and professionals, poor assessment of risk, too much reliance on keeping the child with the so-called natural family, no-one seemingly in charge.

My guess is this report today will say very similar things, plus the added business of the family intimidating a lot of the workers who obviously felt they couldn't go in and help Ainlee.

But poor old Ainlee was left with those violent parents.

Did social workers fail to do a good enough job?

Yes. But it was not just social workers, one has to bring in all the other authorities here.

Following the Maria Colwell child abuse case they did put social services in overall charge.

But the police have a really critical role and they were involved in Ainlee's case.

They were constantly going round because of violent disturbances around the house.

These parents were the neighbours from hell in every possible way.

And then there are health visitors, whose main role is to protect children. Yet we intend to ignore their role.

Do professionals need to be better trained?

What we haven't done is address the training of professional staff, the calibre of staff we are able to attract.

Who would want to do this job?

Who would want to go in and make this extraordinary difficult decisions which are quite easy to make with hindsight?

These decisions can be very delicate and difficult about removing children from their home.

Who would want to do it if you know you are going to be castigated and you don't get paid very well?

The training has previously been a two year diploma. They are now putting in a three year degree.

Even that, frankly, may not be enough.

You may need real specialist training after that.

Should we create a new post of children's commissioner?

There is huge support for a independent children's commissioner.

Sometimes you solve one problem and create another.

You could separate the work out and give it focus and status to attract more able people by creating a separate Child Protection Service.

But there is opposition to that at local level.

You could create a national organisation but what you can be sure of is ministers at national government level do not want direct responsibility for this work.