Councils across England took a deep breath last week as results of the first integrated inspection of children's services were published.
The figures set the benchmark for future performance and reveal how the Every Child Matters reforms are bedding in.
Only four councils achieved top marks across the board for education, children's social care, children's services and capacity to improve - Kingston-upon-Thames, Shropshire, Tower Hamlets and Worcestershire. Only one, Tower Hamlets, is a pathfinder children's trust.
The social care star ratings reveal the huge impact of the structural changes in children's services. Over the last three years, adults' social care performance has improved at a greater rate than children's services so that now 77 per cent of councils serve most adults well, compared to 63 per cent achieving this level for children's services.
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