by political editor Paul Francis

Vulnerable children in Kent may still be exposed to risks despite the efforts by social services chiefs to address serious failings in a damning Ofsted inspection.

The warning comes in a report by the independent board appointed to oversee how Kent County Council is addressing serious shortcomings in child protection identified in a highly critical report by Ofsted last year.

The previously confidential report, which KCC has chosen to release, says that despite positive steps it was not yet possible to be confident that "children are consistently safer in the short term or that improvement can be sustained over time."

County Hall bosses say many of the issues highlighted by the report are already being addressed.

The board’s report commends KCC for its efforts and what it describes as "the excellent strategic leadership...now in place" but flags up a number of areas of concern.

It says the continuing rise in referrals to the council of cases where children may be at risk is "unsustainable" and expresses concern over numbers in the system.

Rising numbers of children being referred to the council means the service is "highly stressed" while there is "a signficant retention issue" in relation to staff.

It says the number of newly-qualified staff taken on by KCC to address staff shortages presents a significant risk and the need to recruit more experienced staff will not be easy to address.

The board also highlights the recent failure of KCC to appoint a permanent director for children’s services and the number of interim directors in posts as "a major issue for the council to resolve."

Liz Railton, the chairman of the Kent Safeguarding and Looked After Children Improvement Board, concludes: "In the context of a large and diverse county, a great deal remains to be done to achieve a sustained impact."

Cllr Jenny Whittle (Con) KCC’s cabinet member for specialist children’s services, said the report was a fair summary. Speaking at a cabinet meeting (20), she said:

"It is a very encouraging report on the direction of travel and progress to date. We have made significant progress since May and the number of unallocated [child referrals] cases has come down to 65 in June. But we cannot be complacent here."

Malcolm Newsam, KCC’s intermim director of corporate social care, cautioned: "There is no quick fix. It will take time to put the sustainable plans in place."

It is understood interviews for a full-time director will be held in July.