Agenda item

Report of the Director of Children and Adults Services

The Director of Children and Adults Services submitted a report (previously circulated) to set out the Independent Reviewing Officer Annual report for 2019/20.

The submitted report provided Members with an overview of the work of the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) service in relation to Looked After Children, including the Dispute Resolution Process and an overview of the performance of the unit in a range of responsibilities.

The submitted report also provided information on the role of the IRO’s and statutory and non-statutory functions that the service is responsible for; detailed staffing levels and caseloads; provided statistical information relating to the number of Looked After Children and number and timeliness of Looked After Reviews; the number of children subject to Child Protection Plans and timeliness of Initial Child Protection Conferences; the Quality Assurance function; and highlighted the actions scheduled for 2020/21.

Members discussed the report and in particular how Independent Reviewing Officers are forging relationships with Members in view of the suggestions made in the recent Ofsted report; the caseload figure in Darlington of 68 children which remains in the upper limit of the statutory guidance of 70; and the importance of full participation of Looked After Children in their reviews and contact with the IRO.