NEGLECTED and abused children in Rossendale were seen five times quicker after the launch of a specialist taskforce, it has been revealed.

The groundbreaking group, thought to be the first in the UK to be set up after the horrific death of London schoolgirl Victoria Climbie, was today applauded for its first year in operation.

It is now hoped similar teams will be set up in Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn, Darwen, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley after figures showed these areas lagged behind the new team.

The Rossendale Multi-Agency Assessment Team was created to make sure different authorities such as social services and police worked together.

The team was set up after the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie, who was slowly tortured to death by her aunt and boyfriend.

A 2003 inquiry said the failure of different organisations such as social services and the NHS to communicate was one of the key reasons for her death.

The figures showed that by October last year 91 per cent of at risk children were seen within at least 24 hours compared to just 17 per cent beforehand.

About 70 per cent of cases are presently being completed on time compared to an average of 45 per cent before the team was set up.

In East Lancashire and the rest of the UK the average figure was about 58 per cent.

The team, created by Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale NHS Primary Care Trust, will now be evaluated by specialists from the University of Huddersfield.

If these specialists give the work the thumbs up other groups will be created throughout the UK.

Val Carman, the PCT's director of nursing and professional development, said: "All agencies that engage with the team report a significant improvement in communication and professional relationships.

"This has obvious, positive impact on the services received by our most vulnerable children."

The team's manager, Mark Cartridge, said "Initial indications would suggest many positives in this working arrangement.

"Each agency reports that their staff feel optimistic and express no major causes for concern."

Neglect was the most common type of case seen by the group, accounting for between 22 and 26 children out of about 35 each month.