Failings found in child services

The checks were intended to stop another Baby P tragedy

Serious failings in child protection services at three councils in Yorkshire have been uncovered following inspections by a watchdog.

Ofsted found social workers in Rotherham had such a wide range of work to do that it undermined their ability to protect vulnerable children.

An inspection at Calderdale revealed some casework about children's safety had not been properly investigated.

Officials also found fault with the service at North Yorkshire council.

Unannounced checks were carried out between June and August in an effort to prevent another Baby P tragedy.

Peter Connelly died in 2007, aged 17 months, after suffering more than 50 separate injuries despite being on Haringey Council's at-risk list.

Referrals delayed

In Rotherham, data and IT systems were found not to be up-to-date so information on vulnerable children may not have been passed on as quickly as it should be.

Managers at Calderdale Council held talks with Ofsted officials after their investigation revealed problems.

Ofsted said the council agreed with the failure and "acted promptly to ensure that the cases identified are further investigated to ensure the safety of these children".

Inspectors found fault with the way in which North Yorkshire council handled two cases where children claimed they had been assaulted by an adult at home.

The council were found to have not followed correct procedures to ensure the safety of the children but were praised by the watchdog that they "immediately took appropriate action" to rectify the problem.

Ofsted also found one care team at North Yorkshire had 50 unallocated referrals, some of which dated back to March 2009, which were waiting to be looked at.

Rotherham Council said it had already taken steps to rectify the problem areas highlighted.

North Yorkshire council said there had been a "significant increase" in work given to social workers over the last few months.

It added that in the last two years it had made investments to ensure it is "adequately resourced to meet current demand".

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