1,400 at risk children 'are not safe' in Birmingham

There are 1,400 children deemed to be at risk who are not safe in Britain's second largest city because the council is unable to "guarantee the standard of safeguarding work", the head of children's services in Birmingham admitted to ITV News.

The shocking admission comes after a damning report into the death of two-year-old Keanu Williams, who was beaten to death by his mother, found he became "invisible" to the authorities in Birmingham.

A serious case review into the murder of Keanu concluded that professionals involved in his care failed to meet even basic standards of good practice.

The independent report, published today by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board, said child protection workers in various agencies "collectively failed" to prevent Keanu's death.

Keanu, who was born in Torbay, died in Birmingham in January 2011 after suffering a skull fracture and a severe abdominal injury at the hands of Rebecca Shuttleworth.

Shuttleworth, formerly of Hay Mills, Birmingham, was jailed for life in June after a near-six-month trial heard her son suffered at least 37 injuries.

Making eight recommendations to the organisations involved in Keanu's care, the review's author said various agencies were guilty of a "loss of focus" after a core assessment made shortly before the toddler's first birthday.

Dan Rivers reports from Birmingham:

Excuses given to health professionals by Shuttleworth after incidents of abuse, including a radiator burn to his foot, were not credible, the review found.

The 182-page report said: