Edinburgh social workers lack confidence in their child protection decisions because of unclear guidance, according to a council report into progress made since the death of baby Caleb Ness in 2001.
Though the audit finds there has been a general improvement in services since the toddler's death at the hands of his abusive father, it reports that social workers need clearer guidance when assessing children.
A third of professionals surveyed said they thought joint assessment guidance from their agencies was unclear, and none strongly agreed that they felt confident doing child protection work.
They also complained of a lack of consultation between professionals and agencies when planning and organising services.
Child protection guidelines state decisions on whether to put a child on the at-risk register should rest with the interagency case conference, suggesting a democratic process.
Such a situation could result in less experienced conference panelists over-ruling more experienced colleagues, which, the report says would increase the number of children on the register. However, an examination of 57 case files showed a high standard of practice.
Roy Jobson, director of children and families at Edinburgh Council, said the audit gave an "honest" account of child protection practices.
A Unison survey of Edinburgh social workers due out soon is expected to call for an increase in spending on placements for looked-after children.
