Significant concerns have been raised over the protection of children from physical and sexual abuse in Birmingham, it can be revealed.

Public agencies such as police, GPs, health officials and social workers are still not working together effectively to help protect young people despite recommendations made after the death of Khyra Ishaq, who was starved to death by her mother and stepfather three years ago.

The Birmingham Post has seen documents from the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board which has raised “significant concerns” and has admitted that public agencies are not working effectively together to identify and protect children at risk.

Slow progress towards improving Birmingham’s failing children’s social services department has also been highlighted by senior council officials, health professionals, the Probation Service and police chiefs who are responsible for delivering a Government-backed recovery plan.

Integrated multi-agency teams of social workers, GPs, health officials, police officers and teachers are at the heart of an improvement plan drawn up after seven-year-old Khyra was starved to death in 2008 by her brutal mother and stepfather at home in Handsworth.

Social workers and education welfare officers failed to intervene, while a subsequent Serious Case Review criticised a lack of co-operation between public agencies and concluded that Khyra would still be alive if the bodies had worked effectively together.

Poor communications between social services, the education department, health trusts and the police, and “poorly focused” assessments of Khyra by professionals contributed to her death, the review found.

Serious Case Reviews into other child deaths in Birmingham found a similar lack of co-operation.

A radical remodelling of Birmingham children’s social services, overseen by Interim Strategic Director Eleanor Brazil, is based on closer partnership working by council, police and doctors in an attempt to identify and help children at an early stage.

But Ms Brazil has already agreed to re-write the improvement plan, just three months after it was approved.

A “refresh” has resulted in one of five themes disappearing and follows a Peer Review in which experts from other councils visited Birmingham to assess progress on delivering improved children’s social services.

There are also concerns about remodelling children’s social services at a time when the department has to identify £20 million in spending cuts.

The peer review criticised a “lack of shared vision and understanding” in respect of the thresholds to be applied when assessing vulnerable children.

While the review also “found much that was encouraging”, there was a warning about significant challenges facing the council and an admission that many of the people spoken to “were still not confident that children were consistently safe in Birmingham”.

Front-line staff across all agencies were said to be committed to the improvement plan, but needed more support to deliver change.

In a New Model of Service paper, Ms Brazil writes: “We recognise that children’s services are essentially partnership-based in their focus and outlook.

“Many of the improvements and aspirations expressed in this document are dependent on effective partnerships with colleagues in health, the police, the voluntary community and independent sector and adult service providers.

“As our new model develops so increased strategic and operational partnership working will be at the heart of what we do.”

But a meeting of the Safeguarding Children Board’s Operational Effectiveness Group (OEG) questioned the rate of progress.

Minutes of the February 21 meeting state: “There are still significant concerns. Assurance is needed that the right children are seen, by the right agencies, making sure they receive the correct level of help and support.”

One senior council children’s social care officer is quoted as saying that “all agencies are continuing to experience difficulties”, and goes on to complain that “the mindset is it’s not ours, it’s their” problem.

Another council member of OEG admits “it will take significant further work to reach an understanding between agencies”.

The meeting also heard that children experiencing the greatest difficulty in obtaining social services support are those placed just below the “significant harm” category – the group identified by OEG as requiring urgent help to prevent them from being harmed or having to be taken into care.

More than 14,000 Birmingham children fall into this category and require urgent help. A further 70,000 children are regarded as “vulnerable”.

Fewer than 10 per cent of the 50,000 child referrals to Birmingham social services each year are accompanied by a Common Assessment Framework report – a multi-agency report identifying urgent and non-urgent cases.

Birmingham spends less than £1 per child on assessments, against just under £3 for most councils.

Of the 23 actions identified in the improvement plan, six had been signed off as complete, eight were in progress and nine were overdue at the time of the February meeting.

Successes include a 100 per cent rate for allocating a social worker to the 1,353 children with a child protection plan while 81 per cent of the 1,919 children in care now have a social worker, up from 68 per cent a year ago.

However, Birmingham is continuing to miss a 10-day target to complete initial assessments of children at risk Staff shortages are being blamed for only 74.8 per cent of assessments being completed within the timescale, down from 80.8 per cent a year ago.

Councillor Len Clark (Con Quinton), executive member for children’s social services, remains convinced that the improvement plan is sound, but does not shy away from admitting that closer co-operation between all public agencies is vital.

Coun Clark said: “It is clear that we have some formidable challenges ahead, especially in terms of the budget for next year which is going to make it difficult to ensure effective multi-agency implementation.

“But the plan is sound. We must concentrate on improving front line services and early intervention in the cases of children requiring help. That will require commitment from all our partners – schools, health, the police and GPs.”

Birmingham Children's Services Factfile
* More than 14,000 Birmingham children face significant harm and require urgent help.
* A further 70,000 children are regarded as “vulnerable”.
* Fewer than 10 per cent of the 50,000 child referrals to Birmingham social services each year are accompanied by a Common Assessment Framework report – a multi-agency report identifying urgent and non-urgent cases.
* Birmingham spends less than £1 per child on assessments, against just under £3 for most councils.
* Birmingham is continuing to miss a 10-day target to complete initial assessments of children at risk