Issue - meetings

[To receive the annual report on the activity of the Independent Reviewing Officers]

Mandy Lee, Safeguarding Manager - Children presented the Independent Reviewing Officer Service Annual Report 2017 – 2018 and highlighted key points. The Board was advised that each child or young person was allocated an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) to review and monitor their individual case. It was highlighted that IROs have a quality assurance role in relation social work support to children and the findings are regularly reported to senior managers. The report informed the Board of the activities of the IROs and outlined case studies to support the information.

It was highlighted that the IRO team currently consisted of experienced and permanent employees, with no temporary or agency staff and that the timeliness of case reviews had improved on last year.

It was noted that the children and young people were encouraged to participate in their own case reviews where appropriate and there had been improved use of the Mind of My Own (MOMO) website and app. Parental contribution had also been encouraged and it was highlighted that a pilot on improving child participation would be rolled out next year.

The IRO team were congratulated on their progress and praised for the stability of the team.

In addition to the information contained within the report, officers responded to the following questions:

·         In response to a query about IRO and front-line Social Worker relationships it was reported that, on the whole, relationships were good and that face-to-face communication between them was always encouraged.

·         In relation to a question on emerging safeguarding threats, it was clarified that there were struggles with placing children with complex needs and sourcing difficult placements.

·         In response to a query about involvement in the MOMO platform, it was highlighted that MOMO would be part of a menu of choice in which children and young people could decide how they preferred to communicate their feelings and wishes. Other options, such as the use of video conference consultations, were to be explored to offer different ways of encouraging participation by making children and young people feel more at ease. Feedback was currently awaited from this.

Resolved:

That the Independent Reviewing Officer Service Annual Reportbe noted.