The review will look at progress in services for vulnerable children

Announcing the year-long study, First Minister Rhodri Morgan said on Friday that it would test existing systems for dealing with child protection and would go into areas that inquiries being set up in England could not address.

"What we can do because Wales is a much smaller country is go directly to police officers, social workers, and to people involved in their training and say 'this is how it's supposed to work but, if we talk to your people on the ground, does it actually work like that?'," he explained.

Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has been appointed to head the Safeguarding Vulnerable Children Review.

She said the review team will take evidence from providers of services, including local authorities, voluntary sector groups, the children's commissioner, providers of training for social work qualifications and groups which represent young people.

Cardiff's social services department was criticised last month

In Wales, police officers answer to the Home Office while other agencies who deal with children answer to the Welsh assembly - it is this sort of discrepancy the review will look at and how it affects the children they deal with.

Catriona Williams of Children in Wales welcomed the study and said: "You do need to have systems that are workable".

"If systems are too bureaucratic then that takes up valuable time. If they're not accurate or information is faulty - these sorts of issues are really practical."

Four years ago, the Waterhouse Report into care homes in Wales published its findings but children's groups say Wales does not deal with young people effectively.

Debbie Jones, from Voices in Care, said: "We're still not particularly good at interpreting what young people have to say, so the big issue really is we need to go back to the community and see what they say about the services in their area."

Health Minister Jane Hutt said the review would establish the current situation and look at any recommendations

"We want to make sure, in collaboration with our partners in local government, that changes and good practice are taking place across Wales in all areas to protect children in all circumstances."

Last month, a report from the Welsh assembly's social services inspectorate spoke of "inexplicable delays" in dealing with child protection cases in Cardiff, the largest social services department in Wales.

It said although Cardiff council had made considerable efforts to improve, services to support and protect vulnerable children were still not consistent.