Coventry's children's services "require improvement" five years after Daniel Pelka murder

[dutchman]

Council boss says he "can't guarantee" no repeat of tragic four-year-old's death

Children’s services in Coventry still require improvement five years after the murder of Daniel Pelka, a new Ofsted report published today has found.

It is an improvement for the city council department which was previously ranked as “inadequate” during the last full inspection in 2014.

But council officials have admitted there is more to be done as they strive to overcome the challenges highlighted when four-year-old Daniel Pelka endured months of abuse before finally being starved and beaten to death by his mother and stepfather in 2012.

The 32-page Ofsted report gave a total of nine recommendations as it rated the council as “requires improvement” up from “inadequate” at the last full inspection in 2014.

Nationally, 47 per cent of authorities are rated as requiring improvement. Of the 14 local authorities in thew West Midlands - only two have been rated as good.

The recommendations included continuing to monitor and develop services, improve the quality of children’s assessments, review arrangements for privately fostered children and work with partners to reduce the amount of unnecessary referrals to social care.

The report said: “Senior leaders and elected members have, in the last 12 months, worked with intense focus to improve the quality of children’s social care services and to ensure that children receive the help and protection that they need.

“While these improvements are evident and are benefiting children and their families, they are not yet fully embedded.”

The report also indicated the council was being put under pressure by partner agencies too cautious in some areas. It read: “A risk-averse culture of partners has resulted in too many referrals being accepted by children’s social care that would more appropriately be dealt with by community based services.

“As a result, some children are subject to social work assessments and intrusive child protection enquiries that result in no further action.”

Other key findings included concerns around planning. The report read: “A historical legacy of weak practice in relation to planning means that, for some children, the time taken to improve their outcomes has been too long and further delayed by poor-quality interventions and a lack of relevant historical information.”

The report also said special attention needed to be paid for preventing abuse by those in positions of power - such as teachers and sports coaches.

It read: “Arrangements to ensure the management of allegations of professional abuse are underdeveloped.

“More needs to be done to ensure an effective response.”

You can read the full report here.

[Melisandre]

I find it all hypercritical my self when my youngest daughter aged about 4 she was pushed off the back of the settee at my sisters house ( I was there when it happened) she was pushed by her 4 year old male cousin playing sword fighting his birthday present I took her to hospital as I thought she had broken her arm as she could nt move it she had broken her collar bone next day with out warning I had social services at my door investigating and checking how it was done even though she had told the doctor at the hospital then they can pick on good parents with a naughty child which social services will not accept the child is bad and make their parents lives hell which I ve known to happen yet cant pick up on a child thats being beaten and starved to death.
Why is nt a health check done on these kids at school like they use to do also open a place if the child is to much for them to handle to give the parent or career a brake the child could then go there during the day or evening .