Children's services in Hackney has received a positive report from government watchdogs.

The council was put under special measures last year and is now regularly inspected by the Social Services Inspectorate to help the authority make improvements.

Among the positive changes highlighted following the latest SSI inspection are the impact of the appointment a new management team in children's services and stable political direction from councillors.

The number of cases which have no allocated social worker has reduced and there have been improvements in the way the council assesses cases and monitors its child care practices.

In a joint all-party statement, councillors said: "We are pleased to see the SSI has recognised the stable and positive approach which councillors and officers have taken towards improving children's services in Hackney.

"We are aware that much need to be done before we are consistently providing the quality of practice we want and we will continue to work tirelessly to make long-term improvements of these services."

The report said children on the child protection register were still not being visited as often as they should be and that staff recruitment and retention could affect the speed of progress.