'Kids still at risk'
VULNERABLE children could still be being left at risk in Doncaster, a snap inspection has warned.
An Ofsted inspection into Doncaster Council's children's services revealed while the council had made overall improvements, there were delays and a lack of "robust decision-making" in some cases.
It follows an unannounced inspection at the authority on January 12 and 13, after concerns were raised over failings which led to two boys being tortured in Edlington in 2009.
The inspection examined Doncaster Council's contact, referral and assessment arrangements, and the findings are contained in a letter from Ofsted inspector Gary Lamb to Nick Jarman, the council's interim director of children's services.
It states: "There has been improvement to ensure that prompt decision-making takes place with regard to safeguarding children who are at risk of significant harm.
"However, practice is not consistent and there are examples of cases where there have been delays and a lack of robust decision-making, resulting in the potential for children to be left at risk."
The inspection found a backlog of unallocated cases had been "addressed effectively" by the council, and noted councillors and senior managers had demonstrated effective leadership in identifying the service's shortfalls.
The authority was also found to have shown a "strong commitment" to driving forward improvements over the past eight months.
Leader of the Alliance of Independent Members on the council, Coun Garth Oxby said: "Of course our concern is that things are sorted out as soon as possible.
"When we were told there was a problem two years ago we were never told if people knew how bad the situation was. It has been drip-fed to us.
"Myself and my colleagues have thought it would take at least three years to get things up to a reasonable state.
"We have had various experts in, and we now have a new children's services manager in Chris Pratt, and a new interim chief executive in Tim Leader. Our hopes are we are finally there. I don't know what more councillors can do."
The council's new director of children's services, Chris Pratt, said: "This latest Ofsted report is a positive step forward for children's services at Doncaster but a great deal more still needs to be done and we are pursuing the further improvements that are needed with great vigour.
"We are pleased that Ofsted has recognised a number of strengths within the service. Everyone in Doncaster is fully committed to making all the improvements necessary to provide the best possible services and support to the children and young people of the borough."
A serious case review found that the Edlington attack by the brothers, aged 11 and 12, was "preventable", and 31 chances to intervene had been missed.
The council''s children's services department is now being run by the Government after the deaths of seven children in the town between 2004 and 2008.
Children's minister Ed Balls has now asked the independent chair of the Government's Improvement Board to compile a report into the council's children's services department.
Mr Balls said: "In the last couple of weeks there has been an unannounced inspection from Ofsted which says that the backlog of cases have now been sorted out, the leadership is strengthened, we are going in the right direction."
"We are pushing Doncaster very, very hard indeed. I can't say yet that everything is right - these things take a long time to turn around - but everything is being done to make sure that children in Doncaster are safe."
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