Social services in two South West districts have been assessed as among the worst in the country. Plymouth City Council and the Isles of Scilly have been awarded no stars in a report by government inspectors, two of eight zero-star councils in England.
Other social services in the region also came out badly.
Cornwall lost a star, down from three to two as did Devon County Council which has dropped from two to one. Torbay retained its one-star rating.
Plymouth's social services attained its no-star rating for the second year running. The Isles of Scilly saw its rating drop after losing the one star it was awarded last year.
Paul Snell, the Commission for Social Care Inspection's Business Director, said: "Overall, this year's star ratings will represent disappointment for councils in the South West, as the overall picture has a downward trend across the region.
"Ultimately, what matters is the quality of social care services, which are available to people in the South West.
"These results show a number of councils will need to improve their social services, making them more responsive to the wishes and aspirations of service users and their families."
Zero-star councils automatically fall into special measures, meaning they are monitored monthly and have to produce an action plan to show how they will improve.
Plymouth City Council said major improvements had been made by its social services department, but not in time to regain a one-star rating.
Improving services
Social services director John Baker said the council recognised that poor performance was unacceptable.
He said: "We are improving but still have a long way to go. We will continue to work closely with the Commission for Social Care Inspection and our partner agencies to improve further still."
Torbay Council's Social Services Department said it was pleased to have retained its one star rating.
Loretta McHugh of the council said: "The council has tackled many of the service areas identified as weak in its performance inspection, whilst continuing to invest in maintaining and improving a high quality services."
Cornwall's Social Services Department said despite its dropping a star, the report said it was still "serving people well" and had "excellent capacity for improvement".
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The overall picture has a downward trend across the region 
