Childrens services 'declining'

Some 22 town halls saw their star ratings for children and young people's services decline in 2008, the Audit Commission found in its annual Comprehensive Performance Assessments (CPA).

Only 13 showed improvements while two local authorities - Surrey and Haringey, which became embroiled in the Baby P scandal in November - dropped two bands, from three to one star.

Doncaster and Milton Keynes also scored only one star for children's services, which was the only area of work in which more councils' declined than improved.

The number of councils achieving the full four stars fell overall from 12 in 2007 to nine in 2008, the lowest proportion for all services.

Those with four stars were Camden, Corporation of London, Gateshead, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Richmond, Tower Hamlets, Wandsworth and York.

Standards in children's services have come under the spotlight since the case of Baby P came to light last year. The toddler suffered more than 50 injuries by the time of his death in August 2007, despite numerous visits by social workers who failed to raise the alarm.

The general decline in children's services was especially marked because of improvements elsewhere in the CPA, which has been published for the last time. From April, it will be replaced by new Comprehensive Area Assessments, which will monitor public services across areas, focusing on results and future needs.

The CPA, introduced in 2002 to measure the effectiveness and value for money of individual local authorities, has traced general improvements in town halls over the past seven years.

The number achieving an overall four-star rating has risen from 22 in 2002 to 62 today, including 27 who have consistently achieved top marks for four consecutive years. Some 26 councils improved by one star, and two by two stars, in 2008. However, 22 declined by one star, and five by two stars, at the same time.