Northamptonshire child protection services 'must improve'

Child protection services at Northamptonshire County Council must be improved, the leader of the council has said after an inspection by regulator Ofsted found a "number" of concerns.

The issues were highlighted in last month's joint inspection by bodies including the police, the Care Quality Commission and the county council.

Ofsted subsequently inspected the local authority's provision last week.

Council leader Jim Harker said child protection was a vital service.

'Concerns justified'

"We must make sure they get the best quality service," he said.

"We have had concerns about this for some time and it looks like they are justified."

A spokesperson for Ofsted said: "Northamptonshire Local Authority offered to take part in a pilot joint inspection of the multi-agency arrangements for the protection of children in January 2013.

"As a result of the pilot inspection, which does not generate a publishable report, we found a number of child protection concerns and therefore carried out an Ofsted only led inspection recently."

A spokesperson for the Conservative-controlled Northamptonshire County Council said it expected the findings to be published on 20 March.

Last week, Liberal Democrat councillor Brendan Glynane said he had read the report last week but was not allowed to take notes or talk about the details.

He says it "undermines" all he has been told about the children and young people services.

"I was truly shocked by some of the findings in the report and some of the things that are happening to our children and young people," he said.