Mr Couldrick found “significant weaknesses” in leadership, the stability of the workforce, areas of practice and partnerships with other agencies.
Staff had complained a “constantly changing” direction left them “bewildered”, and the level of “churn and turnover” in recruitment made improvements “virtually impossible”, he said.
About 40% of the workforce are agency staff.
Tameside also deals with a rate of children much higher than is the case in comparably sized authorities, the review found.
Staff also described a “brutal” regime in which senior leaders were “exited” from the organisation following a poor review or inspection.
This has led to a “strong sense of unease, uncertainty and frozen watchfulness”, Mr Couldirick noted.
Tameside Council was “quick to blame others” for the failings and “need to take responsibility” to oversee improvements, he said.
Mr Couldrick said he had considered taking the services, which had “continued to deteriorate”, out of council control and placing them in a trust or with a neighbouring authority.
However, he said his recommendations would form a “scaffold” upon which the council could build.
