Interview: Jon Fayle, chair, National Association of Independent Reviewing Officers

Fears that the job could be watered down are increasing as spending cuts bite, while there have also been calls to merge the role with family court guardians.

But Jon Fayle, chair of the National Association of Independent Reviewing Officers (Nairo), warns that "whittling the role down would be a real mistake".

In 2002, a statutory duty was placed on every local authority in England to appoint an IRO to ensure high-quality care planning for each child, and crucially, that those children's views are properly taken into account.

Fayle, who is a freelance IRO and a former policy director at the Youth Justice Board, says: "The meetings we have with children are one of the most important aspects of the job, to ensure that their voices are heard. But it's more than just that. IROs tend to be quite stable people. There is a low turnover of staff so over the years it is not unusual for a child to have been allocated several social workers but have the stability of seeing the same IRO."

Ministers would be unwise to ignore this "added value" of the role, Fayle says, but he is aware that the long-term future of IROs is far from certain. "We've had assurance from ministers that the government is keen to keep a robust review process in place for all children going through the care process," he says. But what form that will take is not clear.

A major worry for Nairo, which was set up a year ago and represents around one in 10 IROs, is the Association of Directors of Children's Service's (ADCS) response to the government's family justice review, which calls for IROs to be merged with court guardians. The review team will publish its recommendations in spring next year.

Nairo members, who are mainly employed by councils, are concerned that the move would bring them under the control of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), which has been the subject of criticism over its handling of a surge in care cases.

"Cafcass has got its own issues to deal with and members are worried about being part of that," says Fayle.

But he does admit there are similarities in the roles of court guardians and IROs in ensuring children's views are taken into account, and says there could be "scope for closer working".

Fayle also admits that the ADCS idea raises a valid question about whether IROs can be truly independent while in the pay of the council.

As councils try to cope with tighter budgets, Fayle fears the remit of IROs could become limited to random auditors as caseloads increase and the prospect of funding more roles remains remote.

Nairo believes that around 50 cases at one time is a reasonable workload for an IRO. But guidance published by the Labour government in March in the IRO Handbook says a caseload of between 50 and 70 "would represent good practice". According to a government survey in 2009, the reality is far worse. The survey revealed an average IRO caseload is 81, with the highest recorded standing at 151.

"At 70, an IRO's workload would become quite stretched," says Fayle. "It means that work may not be as effective and planning of care may suffer."

Fayle has worked as a social worker and social work manager in Lewisham, Surrey and Hounslow and also as a volunteer teacher in Africa and believes it is crucial this kind of experience is brought to the role of the independent reviewing officer.

He says: "One thing we were pleased with in the handbook was the recognition that an IRO should be of at least a social work manager status. It is the kind of role that requires someone who can walk into an assistant director or director's office and tell them things they would perhaps rather not hear."

IROS ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• IROs are required to review a looked-after child's case at 28 days, three months and then every six months
• Reviewing cases in this way became a legal requirement under section 118 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002
• The role was strengthened under section 10 of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008, to give IROs responsibility for monitoring the performance of the local authority
• An IRO must ensure the views of children are taken into account when planning care, that care plans are up-to-date and effective and identify any gaps in support