Some of the marines' immediate targets became clear within hours of their arrival.

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The Department of Education said the council's targets were not strict enough, immediate action was needed to clear a backlog of unallocated cases, and the views of children involved need to be taken into account.

BBC: Care of vulnerable children in Wiltshire 'must improve'

He said while the targets were long term, the impact was immediate.

BBC: 'UN Climate Summit' debate 2

The immediate objective to reduce child poverty by a quarter is spelt out in one of the government's many targets.

ECONOMIST: Cutting child poverty will be expensive