During their visit in October, Ofsted inspectors found that some child protection cases were "subject to significant delay" and showed "poor recording and a lack of management supervision".
Their report added "most assessments lacked adequate recording" and "clarity of purpose". The client management IT system was also difficult to use.
Inspectors found that in some assessments there was an "over-reliance on assertions by parents that they would protect their children, without an adequate investigation of their ability to do so or of the risks".
Despite these concerns, inspectors highlighted a number of other strengths and found no areas for priority action, the most severe ruling handed down in Ofsted’s unannounced inspection reports.
Strengths included good partnerships with police and effective communication with families. The council was also praised for acting swiftly on recommendations from serious case reviews and reports of domestic abuse.
Alison O’Sullivan, children and young people’s service director, said: "We have recognised these areas for improvement ourselves and have action plans in place to deal with them."
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