Children's services leaders back call to drop independent reviewing officers
Neil Puffett
Friday, April 6, 2018
Councils should be given the choice whether to continue providing independent reviewing officers for children in care, the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) has said.
A government commissioned fostering stocktake, published in February, made a series of recommendations to improve the system, including allowing councils to drop the role of independent reviewing officers (IROs), who scrutinise local authority care plans for looked-after children.
The stocktake also suggested a single social worker to supervise carers and support children in long-term foster placements, instead of the current system, where children have their own social worker.
The proposals have proved controversial, with a coalition of more than 40 leading children's organisations and experts writing to government urging it to reject them.
The social workers association Nagalro and the National Association of Independent Reviewing Officers have previously raised concerns that removing IROs would place vulnerable children at risk.
But the ADCS said while it backs the retention of existing arrangements in relation to children having their own social worker, it is in favour of allowing councils to decide whether they retain IROs.
The organisation's response to the fostering stocktake states: "The report identifies three possible areas where increased flexibility could be introduced in relation to the oversight of fostering placements, these are: independent reviewing officers; dual oversight of stable placements by social workers; and, fostering panels.
"While we welcome the proposals, ADCS members would want to ensure that a child's right to request his/her own social worker remains in place."
The ADCS added that it is unlikely that all councils would opt to drop IROs.
"While some of the recommendations may require legislative change, in principle it is right that local authorities are given the flexibility to put in place arrangements that best suit local children, recognising that not all local authorities would use such flexibilities," the response states.
"Many local authorities would welcome the opportunity to reinvest potential savings from these areas into other parts of the business according to local needs and priorities."
The LGA has calculated that over the next three years, councils are facing a £2bn "funding gap" for children's services.
Giving local authorities the ability to dispense with IROs was an example of freedoms that councils could apply for under controversial government plans to allow them to seek exemptions from social care legislation, which were eventually dropped in the face of massive opposition from within the sector.
