At risk Birmingham children are being let down says report

Jul 20 2010 by Paul Dale, Birmingham Mail

CHILDREN at the highest risk of sexual and physical abuse continue to be let down by Birmingham City Council’s failing social services, a highly-critical government report has concluded.

Ofsted inspectors have carried out a new inspection and branded social workers and management inadequate and found “significant weaknesses” in child protection arrangements.

In a blistering condemnation following the two-week inspection last month, services for safeguarding children were given the lowest possible Ofsted ranking – not meeting minimum requirements.

The findings will be a bitter blow to city children’s social services, which has been working under a government improvement order for 16 months.

A Serious Case Review into the death of Khyra Ishaq, the seven-year-old Handsworth girl starved to death by her mother and stepfather under the noses of Birmingham social services and education officials in 2008, is due to be published next month.

A new senior management team has been put in place under Children’s Social Care Director Colin Tucker, and council leaders had hoped Ofsted would find dramatic improvement.

But Inspectors said: “Medium-term plans to address some concerns, although important, do not address the serious deficiencies in the quality of safeguarding and protection services which are longstanding, very evident and in need of immediate action.”

The report was released just two weeks after the council announced that Mr Tucker’s boss, Children’s Strategic Director, Tony Howell, would be taking early retirement. He plans to leave in January, when he will be 60.

The Ofsted report says social services leadership and management and efforts to ensure safe levels of staffing in social care remain inadequate.

It says: “Critical shortcomings, particularly within children’s social care and health, mean that not all children are being safeguarded and protected.