Improved standards of practice for social work jobs have been praised for contributing to a 47% per cent fall in the rate of child abuse-related deaths in England and Wales since 1974.

A report from Bournemouth University, due to be published in the British Journal Of Social Work later this year, has found that England and Wales experienced an overall drop in child killings and are now ranked as the fourth lowest among comparable nations. Previously, England and Wales were ranked as the fourth highest.

The authors of the report, Colin Pritchard and Richard Williams said: "Of course, one violent death of one child is one too many, and the numbers of children in the UK today who are still in need are no grounds for complacency."

However, they added that their findings suggested it was "time to give some credit to the improvements of the past 10 years and 20 years" to people in front-line social work jobs, as "Child protection services in England and Wales...can match the best in the world."

Shireen Ritchie, chair of the Local Government Association's Children and Young People board, agreed with the authors.

"The news that the number of children dying at the hands of others has fallen so far since the 1970s is a testament to the hard work put in by front-line staff in councils, as well as in the police and health service" she said. "Social workers do complex and demanding jobs, making delicate decisions which can change the path of people's lives."

"The difference they make is clear. It's important we all spare a thought for the effort social workers put in, which is often unobserved and unappreciated."