THE Early Support Service, in Stockton, has been praised by Ofsted inspectors as an example of effective practice.

The scheme, which provides support for pre-school children with complex needs and their families, has made important steps in providing an improved service for the most vulnerable.

Ann Baxter, Stockton Borough Council's corporate director of children, education and social care, said: "The unit shows how a number of specialist services can be joined up to ensure that vulnerable members of our community get access to high quality support through one point of referral.

"We are delighted that the innovative work of the service has been recognised, and we will continue to build on work such as this as we press ahead with the development of integrated services across the borough."

Stockton was praised for its inclusive approach and its high- quality family centred services.

The report found that most local authorities were making a good contribution towards delivering better outcomes for the majority of children and young people.

However, it also found that for a significant minority, provision is not good enough and authorities need to do more to redress this inequity.

Ofsted's director of education, Miriam Rosen, said: "Councils should ensure that services are planned and delivered in an integrated way, and focus on ensuring that individual children and young people make progress.

"They should secure a balance between sustaining improvements to universal services, while investing in prevention and targeting resources on acute areas of need.