Birmingham City Council among worst for children's services
Birmingham City Council has been named among the country's worst-performing children's services.
Oftsed's annual assessments deemed nine authorities as "poor" - more than double the number rated lowest last year.
They were Birmingham, Haringey, Wokingham, Doncaster, Essex, Cornwall, Leeds, Rotherham and Warrington. All have seen recent Government intervention.
Haringey and Doncaster - which was subject to a Government probe earlier this year after a spate of child deaths - remain on the bottom rung for the second year running.
Ofsted's annual ratings of 152 English authorities - revealed as part of Comprehensive Area Assessments covering a range of public services - found 10 children's departments delivered "excellent" services and 93 "good".
The remaining 40 authorities were said to be adequate for a range of areas including child protection, childcare, schools, social care, learning and skills.
The 10 councils rated excellent are Blackburn with Darwen, Camden, City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston-upon-Thames, Lewisham, Richmond-upon-Thames, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and York.
That compares with three given the comparable top assessment last year.
Chief inspector Christine Gilbert said Ofsted had upped its expectations in terms of the services local authorities should provide.
Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo said the report shows the picture is "generally positive" but added there is no room for complacency.
