Birmingham's children's services condemned

An official report has heavily criticised one of England's biggest social services departments, saying its "current social work model" for children is not fit for purpose.

An inquiry into Birmingham's social services was commissioned after inspectors found weaknesses in care for at-risk children last December.

A report by a Birmingham City Council scrutiny committee found that a lack of senior management was a "major risk" and a shortage of experienced staff continued to "hamper progress towards improvement".

Findings from an external audit revealed that overall the quality of case files for children in care was not adequate.