Vulnerable child cases 'delayed'

A shortage of social workers in Hertfordshire meant the cases of some vulnerable youngsters were not assessed for six months, a report has found.

An Ofsted inspection in October found some cases dating back to March had not been assessed.

The report said this created the potential that children would not be "safeguarded effectively".

It said the case backlog should be made a priority. The county council said it was making good progress.

Inspectors looked at contact, referral and assessments and their impact on minimising child abuse and neglect.

'Immediate action'

"The local authority is aware of these cases... reports have been screened for risk and are kept under review," the report said.

"While the assessments remain uncompleted, there is the potential that children and young people will not be safeguarded effectively or will not receive services they need."

Staff took "immediate and appropriate action" when inspectors witnessed and intervened in two assessments where child protection concerns had not been properly evaluated.

Shortages of skilled staff and high numbers of referrals were cited by inspectors as an area for improvement as individual staff workloads had become "too onerous".

'Innovative approach'

Inspectors said a 25% vacancy rate for social workers needed to be plugged and more detailed referrals of domestic violence incidents should be obtained from police.

But they judged an academy offering support to newly-qualified social workers as a strength of the department, along with its work with disabled children.

John Harris, director of children, schools and families, said: "The issues highlighted by Ofsted have arisen due to severe staff shortages earlier this year, combined with an increase in volume of referrals.

"Ofsted recognised that we had already identified and made efforts to address these concerns, and can be assured that we will continue to take action until they are resolved.

"We are making good progress on recruiting social workers through our academy, which is seen by inspectors as an innovative approach to tackling recruitment and retention."