Ofsted praises child protection in five local authorities

Inspectors praised Cumbria's use of experienced staff in handling cases and its children's social work team's partnerships with other organisations.

Its recording of information was found to be of a high quality as was social workers' communication with families and carers.

Inspectors welcomed plans to establish a wider out-of-hours service within children's social services and called on the council to ensure this is set up swiftly.

Moira Swann, Cumbria's corporate director for children's services, said: "We are particularly proud that the hard work and commitment of our staff has been recognised in providing strong and sensitive support to children and families in our communities and we are grateful for the continued enthusiasm, energy and hard work of all our staff."

Other councils to receive favourable reports were Merton, Norfolk, Halton and Barnsley. None received any areas for priority action, which is the most damning recommendation inspectors can make following an unannounced inspection.

In Norfolk inspectors praised the council's staff training, which was tailored to the individual needs of each staff member. Its support for newly qualified social workers also helped to boost the "overall high level of staff morale" that inspectors found during their visit.