Tributes have been paid to a childcare pioneer who has died at the age of 80.

Barbara Kahan, the former Oxfordshire children's officer, was described as 'always on the side of children'.

Her love for children helped shape the role of social services nationwide, and she was best known for her revealing Pindown investigation into abuse in children's homes.

She was educated at Cambridge and arrived in Oxfordshire in 1951.

Her academic qualities, coupled with her compassionate nature, led to pioneering ideas that put the county at the forefront of a new approach to helping homeless, handi- capped and disturbed children.

Former colleague Iris Goodacre said Mrs Kahan's far-sighted persona meant that children adored her.

She said: "She touched the lives of thousands of young people."

Dr Jean Packman, another former co-worker, said: "Barbara was fantastic and was passionate about children.

"She worked tirelessly for their needs. They trusted her and many older teenagers often came back to see her for advice."

Mrs Kahan, who lived in Cassington, near Yarnton, worked closely with her husband, child psychiatrist Vladimir Kahan, who died in 1981.