Allegations of abuse were left for six months without proper review, while others were assessed by unqualified staff, an investigation of childcare in Hertfordshire has revealed.

Hertfordshire County Council's childcare system had a surprise inspection in early October in the wake of the Baby Peter scandal, the death of a toddler in north London after horrific abuse under the noses of doctors and social workers.

Although the inspectors found several areas of strength, they also identified seven where improvement is needed, in particular delays in assessing allegations and referrals from as long ago as March, blamed on staff shortages.

Their report says: “While the assessments remain uncompleted, there is the potential that children and young people will not be safeguarded effectively.”

Sal Brinton, Liberal Democrat Prospective MP for Watford, said: “Members of the public calling the call centre to report possible child abuse have been given a substandard service. They are not being given the respect and care that they deserve. This has been rightly critisised by Ofsted and has failed every child in Hertfordshire.”

Other problems highlighted by the inspection included a high staff turnover undermining continuity for families, over-burdened social workers, who have a vacancy rate of 25 per cent and inconsistent management.

Areas of strength included the council's co-operation with police and other agencies.

Jane Pitman, executive member for children’s services, said: “We are pleased that Ofsted has highlighted our strengths, which reflect the hard work of our staff in raising the standards of social care in the past two years. However, we also recognise that there is room for further improvement.”

John Harris, director of the children, schools and families department, said: “The issues highlighted by Ofsted have arisen due to severe staff shortages earlier this year, combined with an increase in volume of referrals.

“Ofsted recognised that we had already identified and made efforts to address these concerns, and can be assured that we will continue to take action until they are resolved.

“We are making good progress on recruiting social workers through our academy, which is seen by inspectors as an innovative approach to tackling recruitment and retention.”