All local authorities are obliged to carry out regular reviews of the cases of children placed in their care. Every local authority must also appoint an independent reviewing officer (IRO) for each child to scrutinise the local authority’s implementation of any decision made at the review.
The IRO must attend any review meeting for that child and chair any meeting he attends. The IRO’s primary focus is to quality assure the local authority’s care planning process for looked-after children and to ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings are given full consideration in the review process.
What are the IRO’s functions?
Under the Children Act 1989, IROs are required to perform three main functions: they must participate in the review of the child’s case; monitor the local authority’s performance of their functions in respect of the review; and refer the case to a Cafcass officer if they consider it appropriate to do so.
What are the IRO’s duties?
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