The under-fire police force at the centre of a child abuse scandal has faced fresh ­criticism from inspectors over how well it deals with vulnerable children in care homes.

South Yorkshire Police had "limited understanding" of the risk posed by offenders who target vulnerable children while officers showed an inconsistent response to child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, according to Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

Last month, Professor Alexis Jay, the former chief social work adviser to the Scottish Government found at least 1,400 children were abused over 16 years. Officers, she said, often treated their claims with contempt.

HMIC found officers failed to sufficiently protect three girls identified as at risk, who were sexually assaulted by several men and were reported missing from care on several occasions.

Officers were also found by inspectors to have failed to properly tackle men who are sexually exploiting young girls within the force area.

Inspector of Constabulary Dru Sharpling said: "We are concerned that force practice is inconsistent so not all children receive the standard of treatment they deserve."

She added: "We were also concerned about the lack of understanding of the risk posed by offenders who target vulnerable children, and shortcomings in the protection of children in care."

Chief Constable Ingrid Lee said steps were being taken to address the issues.

These included a central referral unit for referrals relating to children, multi-agency teams in every district, a liaison officer to engage with children in care, known sex offenders being given polygraph tests and greater sharing of information about the criminals with the public.