An Ofsted inspection of St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council in September found that while children that required help and protection were not at risk of immediate harm those in care experienced "significant drift and delay".
The inadequate judgment follows criticisms of the department in an Ofsted focused visit of children in need and child protection services carried out in July 2018, and is a downgrade on the "requires improvement" rating it received in 2014.
In rating services for looked-after children and care leavers "inadequate", inspectors highlighted concerns over a "lack of understanding" in relation to thresholds and "too much drift and delay", including for children subject to pre-proceedings.
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