THE authorities missed opportunities to intervene in the case of three children neglected and allegedly sexually abused over several years, a report concludes.

A report into agencies' responses says, although the parents were "hostile" and "aggressive" when offered help, they failed to take appropriate action.

There were also issues around information sharing; disagreements between professionals; and a failure in all agencies' responsibilities to safeguard and protect the children.

The Serious Case Review, published today (Monday) by the Somerset Safeguarding Children Board, was initiated last year following a review of multi-agency practice.

The SSCB consists of representatives from organisations involved in safeguarding children. The report examines how those agencies responded individually and collectively.

The author said: "The failure to address the safeguarding needs of these children was systemic. All agencies share some responsibility for the failure to act."

An SSCB spokesman said "significant training and improvements in practice and understanding" have taken place to address the issues in the report by a sub-group set up before the review was commissioned.

That includes:

•a neglect strategy shared across organisations to help recognise and respond to signs of neglect early on;

•a relaunch of the protocol to support professional challenge between partner agencies;

•participation in a multi-agency peer challenge with another local authority, focusing on recognition and response to neglect;

•improved crime recording, tackling the apparent lack of recognition of boys through education and training, and ensuring abusers are brought to justice;

•promoting greater understanding among health professionals of their roles and responsibilities to safeguard and protect children at case conferences;

•training for child protection chairmen and development of systems to facilitate case escalation to senior managers;

•increased senior manager oversight of cases in pre-proceedings and family court proceedings;

•less reliance on temporary staff within social care, with 90 per cent of team managers now permanent;

•all schools signed-up to a protocol to support intervention where problems are identified at an early stage;

•enhanced safeguarding support for schools.

Sally Halls, SSCB independent chairman, said: "This case spans well over a decade and during that time there has been significant change and improvements in practice across all the agencies, and in recent years a significant amount of work on training around the recognition and response to child neglect.

"It’s important not to forget that child protection is a very difficult job, particularly when faced with hostile families who forcefully resist the intervention of those who are there to safeguard children.

"In this case professionals were struggling to challenge parental behaviour while maintaining a working relationship with the family that allowed access to the children.

"But the system that is there to protect children did not respond adequately and three children have suffered significant harm as a consequence."