County councillors have expressed doubts over efforts to turn around failing children’s services following a damning Ofsted report.

One backbench Conservative warned that social services chiefs had "a cat in hell’s chance" of meeting demands to improve services and criticised the authority’s action plan as "woolly".

The criticisms came at a meeting of the council’s all-party backbench children’s services scrutiny committee which debated the progress KCC was making following last year’s Ofsted inspection report.

That concluded services for vulnerable children were inadequate in virtually every area and prompted a public apology.

The council has been issued with a formal improvement notice by Ofsted ordering it to improve care for the county’s most vulnerable youngsters within a year.

A detailed improvement plan has been drawn up but has yet to be made public.

Some councillors expressed misgivings over the progress KCC was making and criticised the lack of clear information available.

Cllr Kit Smith said: "Quite honestly, I do not see from what we have here how we have a cat in hell’s chance of delivering that [improvement] in the time scales.

"Our response is so woolly... we need something that addresses the key issues.

"We should be able to say to our looked after children ‘what are we doing for you?’. I do not believe we could do that.

"We have only a year to show that we are much better and I do not see that happening at the moment."

Cllr David Hirst (Con) said: "There is growing anxiety among members on a number of counts. We are not being kept informed of how we are doing."

Malcolm Newsam, KCC’s acting director in charge of children’s services, said the council was "absolutely focused" on addressing the issues raised by Ofsted and clear plans would be set out in a plan to be monitored by a special board.

But he admitted that despite investing more money in safeguarding children, it was not always possible to see what impact it was having.

"I have no doubt that Kent will improve if it retains the focus on the improvement notice.

"I think we have moved rapidly and have made far more progress in the last two months than many other councils would have been able to achieve," he said.

Cllr Jenny Whittle (Con), deputy cabinet member for children’s services, said the improvement plan had clear targets and deadlines.

"I am confident members will feel much more informed from April."