TWO teenage girls who died while in local authority care were not being adequately looked after and at risk of being sexually abused, a safeguarding review has found.

Issues highlighted in the cases of Danielle Formosa and Sarah Clerkson include the risk of child sex exploitation and the importance of the internet, which must be addressed as a matter of "extreme urgency", reports published today have said.

The girls, both aged 14, were from Sunderland, but they died while in care in County Durham within weeks of each other in 2013.

Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) have been carried out by Sunderland Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB), and the findings have also been analysed by independent child safeguarding experts Dr Mark Peel and Dr Trish Shorrock.

They found the rapid turnover of staff in children’s services on Wearside posed a "serious challenge to the effectiveness of the partnership underlying the operation of Sunderland Safeguarding Children Board".

They said: “Both these SCRs raised in our minds the concern that other adolescents in Sunderland may presently be experiencing similarly unacceptable levels of care, and that the SSCB need to address this as a matter of extreme urgency.

“None of the other issues raised here are capable of being fully addressed, until and unless steps are taken to swiftly stabilise the leadership and staffing of this key agency.”

Coroner Andrew Tweddle returned a verdict of suicide after for Danielle Formosa, 14, was found dead at East Farmhouse Children’s Home, Consett, on December 17, 2013.

Earlier that year, police had caught Kevin Palmer, who was 39 at the time, in a tent with her.

He had told Danielle he was a 19-year-old law student and was subsequently jailed for four-and-a-half years for engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and causing or inciting her to engage in sexual activity.

Danielle was a friend of Sarah Clerkson who was found hanged at a house party in Spennymoor, County Durham, on December 8 that year.

An inquest was told she was "very drunk" having downed whisky and Disaronno in a drinking game and an open verdict was recorded.

The report highlights a number of key themes across both SCRs including: communication within and between agencies; issues regarding assessments and assessing risk; management and supervision issues; records, chronologies and procedures; awareness of child sexual exploitation and the importance of the internet and social media.

Recommendations by the experts include the following points:

• All children and young people currently known to SCSC to be at risk of missing, sexually exploited, trafficked have their needs effectively addressed and that measures to safeguard them are adequate.

• New developments on missing and sexually exploited children must be regularly reviewed by the board for compliance and effectiveness.

• The board should ensure that all professionals are afforded the opportunity to acquaint themselves with awareness of the use of the internet and all forms of social media.

• The board should be made aware of the initiatives and provision offered to young people parents and carers to use the internet and all forms of social media safety.

The report said: “Overall the SCRs reviewed here do not, when looked at as a whole, evidence endemic or systemic failure within the authority.

“Rather the reviews reflect general issues, indicative of two general underlying themes.

“Firstly, a safeguarding workforce under considerable pressure both in terms of time and resource, with insufficient leadership direction and support, with consequent and predictable issues around consistency and opportunity for human error.

“Secondly, a safeguarding partnership seemingly operating at a basic and pragmatic level only, and working in parallel rather than in an integrated, cohesive manner.”

Jane Held, chairman of Sunderland Safeguarding Children Board, said the deaths of both girls were "tragic and distressing".

She said: “It is a great sadness for all involved, especially for their families and those providing care to the girls that despite very intensive levels of professional care and intervention, their deaths were not prevented.

“We want to apologise strongly and unreservedly to everyone for letting them down and failing to protect them.

“We owe it to the girls to learn from what happened in their lives to help improve services to other young people in similar circumstances and try to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.”