A major independent review of the child protection system in England, will see social workers spending more time building relationships with the vulnerable families they try to help.

Policy expert Professor Eileen Munro will conduct the review, which has been prompted by several high-profile abuse cases, including that of Baby Peter in 2007.

Prof Munro told the BBC: "The way the system has evolved has been so focused on improving the procedures and the guidance that it's accidentally undermined the importance of the social work skill."

She told BBC Radio 4's programmed that the amount of paperwork those in social work jobs were expected to do had "mushroomed out of control" and "doing things by the book was not enough."

"It's about social workers going into family homes and being able to talk to children, being able to deal with aggressive parents and the organisation supporting them in that difficult and very emotional work" she added.

Government ministers have asked for the review to examine the most successful systems in place for child protection in other countries.

Marion Davies, president of the Association of Directors of Children's Services welcomed the review, saying she hoped it would rebuild the publics confidence in social workers, as well as social workers confidence in themselves.

Children's minister Tim Loughton revealed that the government will publish case reviews that were previously considered secret, these include the reviews into the deaths of Baby P, Khyra Ishaq and the case of the two brothers jailed for a brutal attack on two boys in Edlington.

"The most important thing is not how many boxes are ticked, is not how well the procedures are followed but the most important thing is the quality of the outcomes - are we better protecting that child, is there a better chance by this intervention that a child may survive and may flourish?" Loughton said.