Too many vulnerable children in Gloucestershire are left in circumstances that are not improving, according to Ofsted inspectors.

During the watchdog’s sixth monitoring visit since it rated Gloucestershire County Council’s children’s services department ‘inadequate’ in 2017, it found the authority is “making slow progress” in improvements for children and young people.

The inspectors did find improvements in the senior leadership team, saying it has “clear vision” and a coherent improvement plan which it is successfully putting into force.

But they added while there are early indicators of improvements in some areas, there is “considerable” lack of consistency across teams.

Morale within teams is good, the inspectors said, and senior leaders have “good oversight and understanding” of practice.

As of December 2018, the number of children in care stood at 699, up from 636 the year before, latest county council figures show.

The authority predicts there could be 760 vulnerable under-18s submitted to the care system by 2020 if current rates are maintained.

The county council said it will continue to “work hard to make the changes needed to improve the lives of vulnerable children”.

Inspectors visited on April 30 and said key areas that make a difference to children’s lives are “not yet good enough”.

In a letter to the county council’s director of children’s services, Chris Spencer, they said: “The local authority is making slow progress in improving services for its children and young people.

“The senior leadership team has a clear vision and coherent improvement plan to develop and deliver high quality services to children and families in Gloucestershire, which it is successfully implementing.

“While there are early indicators of improvements in some areas of practice, there is considerable variability across teams.

“Overall, key areas that make a difference to children’s lives, such as being seen quickly, being kept safe and developing trusting relationships with social workers, are not yet good enough.”

Inspectors said there had been an rise in the number of permanent members of staff, and a “modest reduction” in the number of vacant posts.

But Ofsted noted that “too many children” continue to experience frequent changes of social workers, which impacts on the progression of their plans.

Today, the children’s services department launches the social work academy which will provide further training and development for those wanting to join the profession.

Richard Boyles, cabinet member for children and young people at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “The team continue to work hard to make the changes needed to improve the lives of our most vulnerable children and young people in the county.

Social workers now have all the tools of the trade they need to do their job, and with the launch of the new Social Work Academy today, we are confident that we will continue to improve practice and performance across the service.”

“The senior leadership team has a vision and a plan to get there. We need to keep up the recruitment drive for permanent social workers, and work closely with teams to make sure good practice is common across all areas.

“This is fundamental to ensure we offer consistent help and support and improve the outcomes for children and young people who need our help the most.”

Liberal Democrat councillor Colin Hay, children and families spokesman, said it is “sad to see progress is so slow”.

Mr Hay (All Saints and Oakley) said:  “I congratulate the senior officers for demonstrating a clarity in vision to inspectors, however it is incredibly distressing to see that the service is still falling short in critical areas.

“Despite putting all the right things in place we are still not seeing the improvements Ofsted expect.  We need answers as to why we continue to let down those most vulnerable in society.”

The county council agreed to increased council tax by 4.99 per cent earlier this year, the majority of which will go to children’s services.

Nearly £11million extra will be pumped into children’s services as a result of the council tax hike.