Agenda item

Report of the Director of Children and Adult Services

The Director of Children and Adult Services submitted a report (previously circulated) to provide Members with the Annual Report of the Independent Reviewing Officer for 2017/18.

The Independent Review Officer (IRO) service is set within the statutory framework of the IRO Handbook (2010), linked to revised Care Planning Regulations and Guidance which was introduced in April 2011. The IRO has a key role in relation to the improvement of Care Planning for Looked After Children (LAC) and for challenging drift and delay.

The submitted report outlined the role of the Independent Reviewing Officers and the statutory functions that the service is responsible for; detailed the staffing levels and the management of caseloads; and provided statistical information relating to the number of Children Looked After, demographics and Looked After Reviews at 31 March.

The submitted report referred to Performance Planning and Adoption; the Dispute Resolution Process to resolve problems arising out of the Care Planning process; and the requirement under Regulation 29 (The Fostering Services Regulations 2001) to review the approval of foster carers at least once a year.

The submitted report also highlighted Child Protection Activity; management of the IRO service; and scheduled action for 2018/19.

The Cabinet Member with the Children and Young People Portfolio questioned the officer how the ‘voice of the child’ is captured and how did we know what the impact was.  The Head of Quality Assurance and Practice Improvement advised that the Independent Review Officer’s visit young people prior to their review and ensure that the child’s views are recorded within the record of the meeting. The majority of children over the age of 4 years attend their reviews and directly contribute to the discussion and outcome of the meeting.

It was highlighted that some young people chose not to participate directly in their Looked After Reviews and will brief an advocate or complete a consultation form.

Where an IRO challenge is required in relation to Care Planning this will be escalated to Managers for resolution.

It was suggested that case examples of good practice would be a useful addition to next year’s annual report.

Discussion also ensued on the number of children subject to a Child Protection Plan and the reasons for the plan; timeliness of Child Protection Conferences; the percentage of Subsequent Plans which was in-line with the England average but higher than the regional average and some of the reasons for this; and the good representation of parents at the Initial Child Protection Conference. 

RESOLVED – That the Annual repot be noted.