Backlog of child abuse referrals is revealed in North Yorkshire

VULNERABLE children were left in danger of abuse after a failure by county council staff to follow child protection procedures, a snap inspection showed.

Bosses at North Yorkshire County Council say they have taken swift action to improve, after inspectors from Ofsted highlighted two cases where children had been, or claimed to have been, assaulted by an adult living with them.

Ofsted said the council’s response had not followed procedures, potentially leaving the children at risk of harm.

Inspectors also found 50 cases, some dating from March this year, which had not been given to workers to carry out initial assessments.

The report also identified 25 cases where workers were asked to carry out assessments that had not been completed.

In a further 15 cases, inspectors found that progress had stalled because of staffing problems after the initial assessment, creating the potential for some children to be at risk.

The unannounced two-day inspection was carried out on June 30 and July 1.

Ofsted introduced spot inspections earlier this year, following the public outcry at the handling of the Baby P tragedy by social workers in the London borough of Haringey. Baby P, recently named as Peter Connolly, died aged 17 months after he suffered more than 50 injuries at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend.

A county council spokeswoman said the issues relating to unallocated referrals had been swiftly dealt with.

She said that the authority had invested significantly in social care for children.

Ofsted inspectors identified more strengths in North Yorkshire’s children and young people’s service than any other authority since snap inspections were introduced.

The spokeswoman said: “North Yorkshire County Council’s children’s social care teams have been praised for their committed, knowledgeable and skilled staff and robust policies and procedures to protect children.

“All referrals are screened within 24 hours, and the authority always takes necessary action when children are considered to be at risk.

“The depth and breadth of partnership working and good training and communication was highlighted.

“Robust child protection and child-in-need policies were seen to be in place.

“The inspection team also acknowledged good and innovative practice to protect children in North Yorkshire.

“Protecting children is everybody’s business, and a range of agencies work closely to make sure children are safe.”