In an exclusive interview with CYP Now, children's minister Tim Loughton said the "overlap" between the roles must be addressed, under government plans to boost the standing of IROs.
The chief role of the IRO is to oversee the quality of care planning for each child and, like guardians, to ensure children's views and wishes are properly considered.
Loughton said: "There is an anomaly between the much enhanced role for IROs and the continuing role of the guardians, so we need to look at both roles in the context of what they add and how we might streamline them."
The Family Justice Review interim report, published in March, warned that IROs have "low visibility" in the court process. To remedy this, Loughton said the "postcode lottery" of the way judges treat IROs must be eradicated.
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