Rape victim slams council

Bernadette Rogers, from Samlesbury, Preston, hit out at the council, saying: "I know what it is like to be abused and if they need more resources, they should get them now. Abuse is something which affects you for life."

Vulnerable children are put on the Child Protection Register for their safety and should be seen every six weeks by social workers as a matter of routine. But a new study by the county council's social services revealed just 11 per cent of the 218 children on the list were seen within the recommended time last year.

There are 27 children on the register in Preston and 12 in South Ribble -- youngsters who may have been affected by these low figures.

Bernadette, now 30, was raped by her father and half-brother from an early age, but it was just four years ago that she plucked up the courage to report them to the police.

They were both jailed after being convicted of rape.

She said: "Nobody helped me and I don't think much has changed. One of the reasons I spoke about what happened to me was so that if people thought someone was being abused, they would report it.

"Why should they do that if the children aren't being checked on as often as they should?

"We aren't talking about missing a target for reducing the amount of rubbish in the county.

"They are failing children whose lives are at risk."

County councillor Chris Cheetham, responsible for social services, admitted something should be done, but said the figures may not be what they seem.

He said: "It could be that some of the figures in previous years were not entirely accurate or that social workers have not been filling the forms in. They want to be out helping children rather than doing paperwork.

"But we have to accept that something does need to be done.

"A report will be presented to the social services overview and scrutiny committee when it next meets."