THREE families who claim their children died after being let down by social services delivered Christmas cards to council bosses to raise awareness of their plight.

The three handmade cards featured photographs of Melissa Strickson, Shane Cook and Carry-Ann Brown and were handed in to the Blackburn with Darwen Council social services offices in Jubilee Street.

The move came a week after the social services department was given a three out of three star rating after a Social Services Inspectorate review this autumn -- an increase of one star from last year.

Shane's father, Wayne, and Carry-Ann Brown's mother, Tracey, are preparing for their first Christmas after their children died earlier this year.

They were joined by Sue Strickson whose daughter Melissa died in October 2001 after running away from home.

The parents said they wanted the council to know they were still searching for answers about the three deaths.

Shane Cook was living at a children's home in Darwen at the time of his death on March 16. He died after the car he was travelling in with four friends crashed in Preston New Road.

His father Wayne said: "I wanted the council to know that I am still looking for answers and that I am not going to go away. It's been hard not having Shane around at Christmas and I wanted them to know that."

Sue Strickson's daughter Melissa died at the home of a self-styled white witch after taking drugs. She had run away from home several times and her parents said they had pleaded with social services to put her into secure accommodation.

Despite a report concluding that would not have prevented her death, Mrs Strickson is adamant questions about her daughter's death remain unanswered. She said: "I want to know if anything could have been done to save my daughter and about the events that led up to her death.

"It is still very fresh in my mind and I am still traumatised."

Carry-Ann, 14, was in the care of foster parents when she was picked up by her father Sean Brown on August 14. The car they were travelling in crashed on the M6 motorway and her father was later charged with the murder and rape of his daughter.

Tracey Brown said: "My daughter used to help me wrap the Christmas presents. She won't be able to do that this year and I wanted to remind social service of that."

Their request for the cards to be personally received by the director of social services, Stephen Sloss, was rejected but Mr Sloss later said: "The unique and differing tragedies for each of the families has had, and will continue to receive, careful attention and appropriate review by the council and other agencies.

"We will continue to offer support to each of the families to help them recover from their loss. In the new year arrangements can be made for the individual families to discuss their case with myself or an appropriate member of staff."