by political editor Paul Francis

The head of children’s social services in Kent says carers and other agencies are "pushing the nuclear option" of asking for risk assessments of vulnerable children too often.

Rosalind Turner, Kent county council’s managing director of children’s services, said heightened sensitivities about child abuse was placing an unnecessary burden on social workers because so many more risk assessments were being carried out.

Her comments follow a critical Ofsted report on KCC that flagged up concerns about delays in assessments and a shortage of social workers in the county.

Ms Turner was quizzed about the Ofsted report by county councillors at a cross-party scrutiny committee meeting.

She said social workers were under increasing pressure because there was a "risk averse culture" that too often was leading to unwarranted calls for assessments on children thought to be vulnerable.

Agencies that ask for referrals include the police.

Ms Turner said: "A high number of referrals do not lead to intervention. Professionals are pushing the nuclear option far too often and sending children into care far too often.

"I am not being defensive about this and sweeping it under the table. Why is it that Kent seems to have a high level of need out there beyond what you would expect for an area like it?"

Figures show that in June, the authority had 5,509 referrals compared with 4,862 in the previous quarter. More than 1,200 children are subject to a child protection plan in Kent.

But the director conceded there were delays. Responding to a query from one county councillor about claims that one headteacher had told him of a month’s wait before a child had been assessed, she said:

"That does not surprise me. That is an indication of how long it takes to process some of these referrals. A child protection team that is getting 200 referrals a month will have to prioritorise. It does mean we are not complying with the seven-day working time scale [to conduct initial assessments]. We cannot do more than we are unless we boost the teams."

She insisted there was no malpractice and that social workers were "doing the best they can."

Ofsted has told KCC it must take steps to address delays and social worker shortages. About one in five social worker posts in the county remain vacant despite successful recruitment drives in America and Europe.