Many children are being left in harmful situations for too long due to failings by local authorities to assess neglect effectively, according to a new report.
In the child’s time: Professional responses to neglect, published by Ofsted urges local authorities to do more to protect neglected children and ensure assessment are carried out properly.
It found that in nearly half of the long-term cases examined, children were left with families where they came to harm for too long. Professionals were also failing to take repeat incidents and family histories into account, prioritising the needs of vulnerable adults over children.
The report calls for social care workers to be given more training to recognise the signs of neglect, and for local authorities and local safeguarding children boards to share best practice.
Debbie Jones, Ofsted director for social care said. 'Some children live with serious and complicated difficulties in their families, and we need to examine what we can and should be doing to stop neglect far earlier in their lives.
'Absolutely vital to this is ensuring all social care practitioners are able to recognise the impact that neglect has on children, as well as being properly supported by skilled and experienced managers who are able to advise on help and intervention before the damage becomes irreparable.'
The report also revealed that some social care workers lacked the confidence to challenge parents or other practitioners when child protection plans were not progressing.
