Salford's crisis-hit children’s services have suffered a major blow after being given a rock-bottom rating by inspectors.
A report by watchdog Ofsted, published today, branded the department ‘poor’ – the lowest rating possible.
It comes just weeks before the government is due to decide whether to bring in an outside team to take over running children’s services in the city.
Salford’s children’s services have been rocked by a series of blows in the last few years.
In 2009, the department was slammed in a report into the death of toddler Demi Leigh Mahon, let down a dozen times by social workers before being murdered by her babysitter.
Jill Baker, the former children’s services boss, was sacked after insisting no one would be disciplined over the affair. She is taking the council to a tribunal.
New children's services boss: 'My job's on the line ... but it's getting better'
The new report reflects the performance of the service over the whole of the last year.
This year’s rating is worse than 2009, when it was rated ‘adequate’. Inspectors said the council had still not taken ‘sufficiently robust action’ to improve its safeguarding services.
Safeguarding services monitor and provide support for children living in the community and deemed to be at risk from neglect or abuse.
In June this year, a scathing report by Ofsted – looking specifically at safeguarding services – branded them ‘inadequate’ for the second time in four years.
And since August, the department has been subject to a notice ordering it to improve – the government says it could take over running the department if there isn’t significant improvement by next month.
The new Ofsted report does say that the new leadership team had responded positively after the damning report in June.
It added that further progress has been made with the work of an ‘improvement board’ reporting to government ministers.
And it said some ‘rigorous’ measures had been taken in the past few months to turn things around.
Support and advice has also been obtained from another local authority.
In the June report, Ofsted found child-protection concerns were not properly identified or responded to quickly ‘leaving some children at potential risk’.
Caseloads of some social workers in the court and child protection team were too high.
Today’s report said there were some good things about Salford’s children’s services.
Provision in nursery and early years of primary schools was rated ‘good’, as was the majority in secondary schools and children’s homes.
And the council’s adoption and fostering agencies were rated ‘outstanding’.
New children's services boss: 'My job's on the line ... but it's getting better'
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But we will have some lovely cranes at the top of the M602 and a wonderful new community stadium.
The Labour council have their priorities right don't they ?
Due to lack of money - social workers are being told that they can't persue cases far enough ie child abuse is being overlooked. Do the general public know about this? I doubt it - they just blame the social worker.
I don't think anyone blames the social workers. They do a very difficult job in trying circumstances and have been completely let down by their management and their employers.
Cllr Merry *promised*, let me repeat, promised that things would get better. He was asked by both opposition leaders, in a full council session, to quit over this. He refused. I distinctly remember Tory leader Cllr Garrido said that, when faced with Merry's promises that things would get better, she "simply didn't believe/trust him".
All Cllr Merry's words that day in Council were simply just that, words. He's failed. He should go, and so should Cllr Warmisham who, as the former-Lead Member for Childrens Services, did nothing to rectify the situation. They are both useless as leaders and should resign forthwith!
How can Merry keep his job NOW.Absolute disgrace,this man should be marched out of the council chamber to the boos of the rest of them