DEMANDS for an emergency meeting of the council to debate how Wirral protects its most vulnerable youngsters have followed two high-profile departures.

Labour councillor Tony Smith was fired yesterday as children's services chief nine months after an alarming Ofsted inspection revealed a catalogue of wide-spread failings in the department.

And it emerged this afternoon the director of children's services - Julia Hassall - has handed in her notice.

There had been Tory calls for her to walk the plank last year but they were resisted by the Labour-run council as they claimed she was "best placed" to repair the damage.

Council leader Cllr Phil Davies said: "We have a challenging year ahead as we respond to the recent Oftsed report in children’s services and for that reason I have asked Cllr Bernie Mooney to take charge of this portfolio."

Councillor Mooney has also been promoted to deputy leader in the group reshuffle, and her boss added: "I believe it is correct to make this a responsibility of the deputy leader to demonstrate how important protecting vulnerable children is to this administration."

New Conservative group leader Cllr Ian Lewis is calling for an emergency debate on the "mounting turmoil in the department."

He said: "For nine months the spin doctors and advisers around the Labour leader have been telling us how everything is fine, lessons have been learned and how we are on a journey.

"For nine months carers, parents and others have been saying otherwise.

"Now we are seeing how the leader of the council has made a catastrophic mistake in not acting sooner.

"There is clearly something we are not being told that has caused him to lose a cabinet member and now a senior director within the space of 48 hours.

"We have asked the mayor to allow an urgent debate at full council tomorrow to give him that opportunity.

"It's time for Cllr Davies to step up and deal with this mounting crisis once and for all."

Council chief executive Eric Robinson said:“Julia has been with Wirral Council for 15 years and has been director of children’s services since 2012.

"During that time she has worked tirelessly to protect and support Wirral’s children. 

“The challenges faced by our children’s services in recent times have been well-documented.

“Julia feels that now she has put the senior team in place, and got the improvement process on track and making progress, that now is the right time for her to step aside and seek a new challenge elsewhere. 

“She leaves with our thanks for all of her efforts and our best wishes for the future.”

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Phil Gilchrist said: "The problems Ofsted found were long-standing.

"Those closest to the problems must have been able to recognise how serious they were.

"We have never got to the bottom of who knew what was going wrong, and when."

Ofsted Blast:

The sacking is widely viewed as part of steps being taken to address serious failings in child safeguarding uncovered during an inspection by Ofsted.

The national watchdog found children's services in the borough were "inadequate" - its lowest possible rating.

 It found vulnerable youngsters were being subjected to serious and wide-spread failings, leaving them facing ever-increasing risks.

Its report said senior managers and political leaders had not provided effective and stable leadership for the service over the last three years.

When youngsters leave the care system there was sometimes no record kept of where they have gone - or what has become of them.

Since the inspection, a multi-agency improvement board has been formed tasked with turning around child safeguarding.

It is chaired by Eleanor Brazil, commissioner for children's social care and advisor at the Department for Education.

Government troubleshooter Ms Brazil was brought in to Haringey council following the killing of Peter Connelly - also known as "Baby P" - after social workers missed signs of abuse.

The Government issued a formal "Improvement Notice" to Wirral Council.

It warned unless significant steps are taken secretary of state for education Justine Greening will use her statutory powers to make an "intervention."

The Wirral authority has now invested £10m into the service and launched a major recruitment drive for more social workers and specialist staff.