Dozens of children involved in family court cases are at risk of abuse because of “serious failings” in the £100 million-a-year advisory service set up to represent their views.

The first Ofsted inspection into the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), which examined the East Midlands region, concluded the operation was “inadequate” and child safety was compromised on numerous occasions.

The report revealed that during last summer’s inspection, Ofsted officials had to intervene directly in seven separate cases to make sure that children being represented by Cafcass advisers were not at immediate risk of violence, neglect or sexual assault.

In a host of other cases where safeguarding was clearly an issue, inspectors found Cafcass advisers had not even checked with the relevant local authority that child protection teams were aware of the situation.

Ofsted has ordered an immediate and thorough audit of all teams in the area to make sure they understand how child protection works.

Cafcass was set up in 2001 by Tony Blair to make sure the wishes and views of children were properly represented in the family courts. Much of the work involves custody and access disputes when parents separate. Cafcass is also responsible for representing children when they are put into care or are up for adoption.

Within months of starting up, a huge backlog of cases built up, with some parents forced to wait for up to two years for Cafcass to file its report on the children involved.

The service has also been attacked by fathers’ rights groups who accuse Cafcass social workers, who advise the court, of siding with mothers.

Today’s Ofsted report is the first rigorous analysis of its work, the schools inspector that took over responsibility for monitoring Cafcass last year.

It cited cases of four-year-old children being judged as “too young to express wishes and feelings”.

In another case an 11-month-old child was said to be too young to appreciate “the political significance of his circumstances”. Far too many reports were based on opinion, not evidence, and many were full of errors. Analysis of facts was poor, with advisers too often jumping to conclusions. In many cases inspectors had no idea how Cafcass advisers reached their recommendations.

Reports were frequently sprinkled with bizarre observations such as “P was born by Caesarean section” or that the parents lived in “a maisonette rented from the local authority”.

But in the most serious cases, reports contained evidence of risks or even injuries to children with no further information as to what action, if any, had been taken.

One report contained a scribbled note saying Cafcass had telephoned a mother after her son suffered a fractured skull, with no further information on the injury.

Confidential files were routinely kept in unlocked cupboards and there was little supervision, leading to an atmosphere of “complacency and lack of focus”. When Ofsted inspectors challenged Cafcass officers about their casual approach, the officers appeared not to be alarmed or surprised, and suggested that their methods were common practice across all regions.

Christine Gilbert, the head of Ofsted, said it had made ten recommendations and would be closely monitoring what action the region would take.

“Though some of the services provided by the Cafcass East Midlands were adequate, Ofsted has found many serious failures in its core role of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and families,” she said.

Anthony Douglas, the chief executive of Cafcass, said that he took full responsibility for the criticisms.

“As the Ofsted report makes clear, we are already implementing a new structure to bring about a radical shift in the quality of our work. We are determined to implement Ofsted’s recommendations quickly.”

The Conservatives said that the report was another blow to the authority of the organisation.

Theresa May, the Shadow Women’s Minister, said: “It is time to ask the question whether Cafcass really is carrying out the task it was meant to.”

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