Cardiff County Council leader Russell Goodway has met Welsh Assembly Social Services Minister Jane Hutt to give assurances the authority will now take steps to improve social services care in the capital.

The meeting follows an audit report which found the cases of children at risk of abuse were being mishandled due to a "bullying", "macho", "arrogant" and "secretive" management culture at the local authority.

Russell Goodway is given a deadline of six months

Coun Goodway said he was "encouraged" after meeting Ms Hutt and said action now was being taken to bring an additional support to tackle the problems.

But Ms Hutt staved off calls for Coun Goodway and senior officers at the council to quit, saying "this is not a time for sackings".

Instead, she called for a focused effort by all concerned to ensure Cardiff social services "turned the corner".

The minister's views followed growing calls for resignations and direct action, from those sacked as "whistleblowers" to opposition councillors.

In an interview with BBC Wales Today, Coun Goodway stopped short of giving guarantees of wholesale improvements to services for vulnerable children and the elderly, which were criticised in the audit commission report.

"We have been talking about problems and not solutions. I want to address these problems. I am confident we can give it a good try. But it would be an unwise politician to give guarantees at this time."

Coun Goodway was also critical of councillors calling for action, saying some had "contributed to the problems".

On Wednesday night, councillors upheld the sacking of the latest social worker to blow the whistle on the council's record, former manager Neil White.

But Mr White has warned he is not about to let the local authority ignore the concerns which brought about his dismissal.

"I think Russell Goodway must resign," said Mr White.

"He has made it clear he is in leader and he is responsible for this debacle; he is responsible for the neglect of children in Cardiff and old people and he must go."

Ms Jane Hutt - in a 1600 BST meeting - is set to warn Mr Goodway he must turn the department's performance round in six months or have the Welsh Assembly Government take control.

"I will to talking to him about the concerns, about the culture and how users, carers and staff can be fully engaged in turning the service round."

The scathing report published last month found a backlog of 163 children's cases in late 2001.

Inspectors working for the Audit Commission and the assembly government found the cases included a two-year-old who had suffered a facial burn with a cigarette and alleged sexual assault.

Mr Goodway must now reassure the minister he can improve the social services department's care of vulnerable and endangered children at risk of sexual and physical abuse.

Jane Hutt wants improvement from the council

On the eve of the meeting, an appeals panel of councillors backed the local authority's decision to dismiss social work manager Neil White.

The council said his dismissal in August was because Mr White failed to discipline another whistleblower, residential home worker Beverley Bush.

Mr White said: "I was expected to present a case against her when my investigation had clearly shown there was no case to answer.

"If they think they have got rid of me, I have to say, a little bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I will be back.

"I haven't given up a �30,000 per year job in order for these matters to be ignored."

More criticism

Opposition Liberal Democrat leader Rodney Berman said Cardiff County Council had failed the first test in changing the department's culture.

Conservative group leader Gareth Neale said the council's executive had a "lemming dilemma" with senior officers blindly marching on without acting on previous warnings.

And - hours before Mr Goodway's meeting - there has been yet more criticism of Cardiff County Council.

A backbench Labour councillor sitting on the panel hearing Neil White's appeal has claimed she was ousted from the body.

Plasnewydd member Ann Cox suspects she was ditched for voting against giving top councillors a pay rise last year - one of eight such rebels.

Statement expected

Councillor Cox said she had received documentation for the hearing - but is now off the panel after it reconvened following another member's illness.

"I think I was qualified to sit on that panel and can't understand why it appears I was not considered suitable," she said.

Cardiff County Council is due to issue a statement on Thursday.