A focused visit to check on the progress of "front door" child protection responses at Middlesbrough Council, which was rated "requires improvement" in February 2016, found that while immediate child protection issues are responded to well, the response to lower levels of risk is "too variable".
A report on the visit states that the council has not been able to secure the full commitment of partner agencies, resulting in "far too many low-level children's cases are being inappropriately sent to statutory children's services to resolve matters".
As a result, the report states, front door services are not going far enough to get the overall understanding of children's needs necessary for successful intervention in complex situations.
"This has resulted in unnecessary repeat contacts and delays before children receive the support that they need," the report states.
"High and increasing levels of demand and a lack of sufficient staff have resulted in piecemeal decision-making, with insufficient information, poor recording and a lack of consistent management oversight."
Inspectors said that many of the high number of contacts with front door services that come from partner agencies, which rose from 1,539 in April 2018 to 1,899 in July 2018, do not need to be shared with children's services.
"Many of these contacts are unclear as to what the concerns are and what is expected of children's services," the report states.
"Social workers are spending far too much time trying to understand the issues."
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The report adds that in too many situations where there are no safeguarding concerns, partner agencies have not sought the required consent from parents and families in order to share information with children's services.
Inspectors also said there is very little contribution from partner agencies at the front door and what contribution there is has been very recent.
"This lack of contribution from partner agencies hampers information gathering and joint planning to provide integrated support."
"The local authority has set a date of April 2019 for a multi-agency safeguarding team to be in operation. This will not just need resourcing but also a demonstrable cultural change from partner agencies in taking responsibility and working together for vulnerable children and their families."
However, inspectors did say that despite considerable weaknesses in the quality of frontline practice, a new director and a new chief executive have led a programme of improvement, which has begun to strengthen the support being provided for children. The local authority has provided additional investment for children's services and, in the main, detailed plans are in place to address the issues.
Mike Carr, Middlesbrough Council's lead member for children's services, said: "The safeguarding of children is of paramount importance, and as a council we constantly strive to ensure we provide the best possible service.
"Visits like this are a vital part of that process, both in highlighting areas requiring improvement, and showing us where we're getting it right.
"While the inspectors identified a number of issues, they also found that senior management are already addressing many of these. I'm also pleased that the report acknowledges the positivity and professionalism of our social workers, whose commitment and dedication makes a real difference to the lives of children and their families every single day.
"I have every confidence that when Ofsted next come to visit, they will find our teams have continued to build on the progress undoubtedly made in recent months."
