Nine UK Children's Services Rated 'Poor'

Ofsted has rated children’s services in nine local authority areas across the UK as “poor”.

The nine areas highlighted include the borough of Haringey, where Baby P died.

The inspectorate's annual ratings of 152 English authorities show ten provide "excellent" services and 93 "good".

The remaining 40 authorities have been deemed to offer adequate services including child protection, childcare, schools, social care, learning and skills.

According to Ministers, interventions had taken place at authorities rated as poor.

The number of underperforming children's services has increased from the eight identified last year.

Along with Haringey, in north London, the others rated as poor are Birmingham, Cornwall, Doncaster, Essex, Leeds, Rotherham, Warrington and Wokingham.

Blackburn with Darwen, Camden, City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lewisham, Richmond-upon-Thames, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and York are all rated as excellent.

Ofsted Head, Christine Gilbert said the regulator had increased its expectations for what local authorities should deliver.

"We are considering a wider range of services and outcomes for children and young people, and in that sense we are being more demanding," she said.

"We are also using more first-hand inspection evidence, gathered by a range of highly knowledgeable and experienced inspectors looking at services and settings, from schools and childcare, to services for vulnerable children, and those for young people in colleges and sixth forms."

Ofsted also said that services can vary within the overall ratings, so "excellent" or “poor” does not mean universally so.

Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo said the report showed the picture was generally positive, but there was no room for complacency.

"It is right that the bar has been raised, and we will continue to take action until all children's services are being delivered to an acceptable level," she said.

"That's why we have already intervened in every one of the nine local authorities identified as performing poorly."

Ofsted's findings were published a day after an independent report said doctors at a clinic that failed to spot Baby Peter Connelly had a broken back, two days before he died in 2007, had been under an "excessive workload".

(NS/KMcA)