Nottingham City Council has been asked to improve how it handles complex child neglect cases following a report by the Local Government Ombudsman.

According to the Ombudsman, Nottingham failed in its statutory duty to act first and foremost for the interests of two children whose mother has severe long-term learning difficulties.

The Ombudsman found the council stymied attempts made by the children's grandparents to care for them by challenging independent assessments for suitability.

It also reported that Nottingham didn't undertake proper assessments of the needs of the children, who suffered significant periods of neglect and a lack of stimulation in their early years.  One of the children suffered injuries while in their mother's care.

The Ombudsman also stated the council failed to monitor the efficacy of its strategies in helping the mother – who was often indifferent or hostile to the authority's approaches.

Local Government Ombudsman Dr Jane Martin said:  ‘In this case the council failed in its statutory duty to act first and foremost in the interests of the children, by pursuing a strategy for four years of attempting to support their mother to look after them.

‘Significant delays in cases involving neglect can have an even more devastating effect on young children because of the impact it has on their development.

‘Timely and effective assessment processes, and clear record keeping by councils would help alleviate similar issues,' Dr Martin added.

Nottingham City Council's portfolio holder for children's services, Cllr David Mellen said: ‘This is a case where we persevered for too long with efforts to help a mother remain as the carer of her children.'

‘We are committed to maintaining high standards for the care and safeguarding of children and have made huge improvements since 2005 when we first became involved when the first child was born.

‘We acknowledge the Ombudsman's findings and we can reassure people that we have already implemented improvements which address the Ombudsman's concerns. We regret any upset caused to the family.'