'Serious weaknesses' in BCP Council's children's services

Ofsted found children "do not have their needs responded to fully or in a timely manner"

Inspectors found "serious and widespread weaknesses" in a council's children's services department.

Ofsted said Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council's services were leaving "vulnerable children at risk of harm".

A visit took place in November 2019 but areas for improvement had not been "effectively addressed", it said.

The council said improving the services would be its "top immediate priority" until improvements had been made.

The Children's Services department was established when BCP Council was formed in April 2019.

An Ofsted report said children were "repeatedly referred" to services and did "not have their needs responded to fully or in a timely manner".

Assessments for children and their families were "unfit for purpose" and "lack sufficient evidence, analysis and challenge", while managers' failures have meant children remained in "unsafe situations" for too long, the report said.

'Widespread deficits'

Inspectors found children in care and care leavers had "expressed serious concerns" about a lack of support from the authority, including during the current pandemic.

The Department for Education appointed an improvement adviser to work with the authority earlier this year.

The authority appointed Elaine Redding as its interim corporate director of children's services in September.

Councillor Mike White, portfolio holder for children's services, said: "The council has made the improvement in children's services our top immediate priority and it will stay that way until we have made the improvements we need to make.

"We have confidence in the new top team to deliver those improvements and as well as supporting them to the hilt, we will be holding them to account to do just that."