"The end of the beginning," is how junior children's minister Delyth Morgan described the government's detailed response to Lord Laming's review of child protection, which was published last week.
But the fanfare eagerly awaited by social workers, directors of children's services and politicians alike ended on something of a flat note.
Aside from the announcement of a £58m Social Work Transformation Fund, councils were left without any indication of where extra resources would come from. And with no increase in basic funding for safeguarding, social workers were left no clearer about how, fundamentally, their jobs will improve.
"It's sticking small plasters on gaping wounds," says Nushra Mansuri, professional officer for the British Association of Social Workers (BASW).
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