Eight year old Connor McCreaddie hits the scales at a mammoth 88 kilograms, almost four times the weight of a child of his own age.

In case you've missed it, Connor was at the centre of a Social Services storm last week after investigating social workers decided that the obese youngster, who recently featured in a television documentary; did not, as yet warrant being placed in care.

Patricia Hewitt's grand scale interference and public backing of the local authority's threats to take Connor away from his home was not a constructive course of action and only added fuel to the fire. Social Services were quick off the mark with the sledgehammer / walnut approach, but one wonders exactly how much support has been offered to young Connor? It would be very interesting to see whether a medical consultation was undertaken by a health consultant as it is very likely that the youngster could be living with Prader-Willi syndrome, a condition which leads to obesity, usually caused by excessive appetite and overeating (hyperphagia).

To be fair, Connor's Mother, Nicola McKeown has seen the light. Trying to be attentive to the dilemma she has encouraged and supported Connor, by helping him to shed nearly 12 kilograms during the last two months Ask any overweight person  on their seventy ninth diet regime, and they will explain that this is not an easy achievement.

The media attention heaped on this child would have made many squirm, but never let the welfare of a human being get in the way of a good story. Connor who is displaying symptoms of suffering acute psychological problems has become an obvious target for playground taunts and bullies. His inability to eat less, probably a recognised medical symptom has not been helped by having his bulk featuring on every front page, as well as being the focus of discussion by the butcher, the baker and attractive, tanned and toned news presenters.

Connor's Mother did make a crucial point when she said she had not been given enough expertise and support to reduce his weight. Connor's Mother claims to have tried everything to stop him overeating and something within me says she is telling the truth, even if her comments were prompted by local authority heat on her family. Within her own severely restricted limitations she probably has tried her best, which has proven to be nowhere near enough. As part of collective community responsibility, the finger can and should be pointed at more than just Connor's Mother. Did the school nurse ever raise the issue of obesity with Connor's Mother? Does his school promote a healthy eating programme? Are dinnertimes at school themed towards Jamie Oliver or Billy greaseball's roadside burger joint?

Connor's Mother, (like many parents of overweight children) is not a bad Mother simply for allowing her child to eat excessively. It may be late in the day but it is up to the professionals supporting this family to offer moral, physical and parenting advice and support to them.

Neglect is a prime feature of child abuse and though I agree that affirmative action needs to be taken, taking young Connor away from his family would have been a step too far. It would be far better to enforce a strengthening family’s programme on his mother. She may be of the ilk that believes ensuring her son has plenty to eat is what any loving mother would do. This in turn means that she may need long term counselling to help her overcome the pain she feels when she sees her child spitting out food as well as being in a constant and unhappy state. Educating her and broadening her horizons through classes and meeting people in similar situations would be of great benefit. At the same time it would be wise to invest in regular or weekly sessions for Connor at a clinic for the obese or a nutritionist.

Connor's needs are more than physical at present. The media attention will magnify his problems further. It's easy to forget that he's eight years old and despite his tender years it is likely that he has had to experience and deal with abuse from peers, which has resulted in his self esteem repeatedly taking a real battering.

We live in an era that makes celebrities of real people with real problems and it would not be surprising to see Connor being offered five minutes of fame, featuring in the world's most obese 6 year old competition. Concentrated support for the family will help Connor to shed the excess and will go along way towards improving his self esteem.

Obesity is a national issue, and if through raising national awareness, an eight year old can become the poster boy for the fight against excessive eating then a lot of good would have come out of this sorry episode.