Report warns over social services

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A "vicious circle" of problems is blighting social services in England making improvement difficult, a government-appointed taskforce says.

In an interim report, the social work taskforce warns of serious staffing shortages and a lack of leadership.

The group - set up to improve the service in the wake of the scandal over the death of Baby P - also said support for frontline staff was "inconsistent".

The government said it was committed to supporting social workers.

Job 'at risk'

The report said social work was struggling to hold its own as a "durable, attractive" profession, with widespread staff shortages "seriously compromising" the quality of frontline services.

Not enough suitable social workers were being produced or retained by the current system of training and career progression and some felt the job was at risk of becoming too "mechanised".

The country needs a more confident, more effective and more respected social work profession Moira GibbSocial work taskforce chairman

It also said there is also no single body responsible for promoting the profession and improving standards.

The taskforce noted: "Many of these weaknesses can end up compounding one another, causing a vicious circle in which service improvement becomes hard to achieve."

Its report made a series of recommendations, including the creation of a national college for social work, improving education, developing a clearer career structure and better resources.

Social work taskforce chairman Moira Gibb said: "We have identified the building blocks of the reform proposals we will be putting to government later this year.

"This is a fantastic opportunity to put social work on a new footing for the long term. The country needs a more confident, more effective and more respected social work profession."

Children's Minister Delyth Morgan said: "From meetings with social workers and from today's report it is clear to see that the profession is facing a particularly tough time at the moment and we are committed to ensuring they have the support and training they need for them to carry out their work effectively."

The social work taskforce, whose members include the Sun's agony aunt Deidre Sanders, will now draw up a detailed programme of reform for the government.

Baby P died in 2007 with more than 50 injuries, despite being on Haringey Council's child protection register. His name was later revealed to be Peter.