4.3.2 Looked After Reviews

AMENDMENTS

This chapter was amended in October 2011 to reflect the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations (England) 2011 and associated guidance (including the IRO Handbook). In particular Section 2, Frequency of Looked After Reviews, Section 8, Chairing of Looked After Reviews and Section 12, Notifications have been significantly amended and should be read in their entirety. Section 9, Looked After Reviews on Children who are the subject of Child Protection Plans and Section 13, Review Recommendations and Decisions have been added.

RELATED CHAPTERS

Appointment and Role of the Independent Reviewing Officer Procedure

Children's Reviews Guidance

The Purpose of Looked After Reviews
Frequency of Looked After Reviews
Convening and Co-ordinating Looked After Reviews
Invitations
Role of the Social Worker
Contributions and Reports
Supporters, Advocates and Interpreters
Chairing of Looked After Reviews
Looked After Reviews on Children who are the subject of Child Protection Plans
Looked After Review Standards
Permanence Planning and Review
Recording of Looked After Reviews
Review Recommendations and Decisions
Notifications
Monitoring of Review Recommendations
Resolution of Problems

1. The Purpose of Looked After Reviews

Care planning and reviewing are dynamic processes. An effective Care Plan will identify intended outcomes for the child and set objectives for work with the child, the birth family and the carers in relation to the child's developmental needs. Care plans should be made before the child becomes looked after, or in the case of an emergency entry into care, within 14 days of becoming looked after. The Care Plan will need to take account of other relevant plans such as the Personal Education Plan and the Health Care Plan.

All looked after children and young people should have Looked After Reviews. This includes young people subject to a Care Order who offend and receive a custodial sentence and young people who are Eligible under the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000.

A current Care Plan must be available for consideration at a Looked After Review; the plan can be in the format of an ICS/Swift plan or a Care Plan submitted to court.

It is important to distinguish the two functions of reviewing - as a process of continuous monitoring and reassessment, and the Looked After Review as an event when a child's plan may be considered, reconfirmed or changed and such decisions agreed and recorded in consultation with all those who have a key interest in the child's life. The date of the meeting with the child and carers is to be considered as the review completed date and will be the date for measuring timescales.

The purpose of the looked after review is to:

Ensure that appropriate plans are in place to safeguard and promote the overall welfare of the looked after child in the most effective way and achieve permanence for them within a timescale that meets their needs;
To ensure plans are being progressed effectively;
To make recommendations, as necessary, for amendments to those plans to reflect any change in circumstances;
To ensure the needs of children looked after as a result of a secure remand are met;
To ensure that an Eligible Young Person moving into semi-independent accommodation is ready and prepared to move.

A Looked After Review must take place before any significant change is made to the child’s Care Plan, unless that is not reasonably practicable, including a decision to cease looking after a child.

It is important that decisions taken at Looked After Reviews are implemented and responsibility for actions clearly defined.

Much relevant information can be gathered outside of the Looked After Review meeting in order to reduce the number of people required at a meeting and to allow the process to be much more child-centred. The information from these consultations combined with the information for the most recent assessment of the child's needs will set the agenda for the discussion at the review meeting.

The Looked After Review will also take account of the child's Placement Plan, ensuring that it is up to date, or that arrangements are in place to up-date it.

The Review should consider the following information:

All relevant plans in respect of the child;
The extent to which the aims and objectives of the these plans have been achieved;
The need for the child to continue to be looked after;
The protection and welfare of the child;
Whether the child's placement is meeting the child's needs;
The educational needs of the child;
The health and well-being of the child;
The child's contact with family, friends and significant others and whether such contact arrangements are appropriate;
The child or young person's support needs in preparing them for independence and adulthood;
The child's needs in respect of additional, specialist or therapeutic assessments or interventions;
The child's right to an Independent Visitor;
The child's need for an independent advocate;
The child's and family awareness and understanding of how to access the Comments, Compliments and Complaints service;
The child's right for his or her their views to be listened to and taken into account;
The legal status of the child and whether steps should be taken to secure the discharge or variation of an existing order or any new order should be taken;
The child's long-term Care Plan and whether this should be changed;
The child's right to access his or her own file.

2. Frequency of Looked After Reviews

In most cases, the looked after review should be convened at the following intervals:

An Initial Looked After Review should be conducted within 20 working days of the child being Looked After;
The Second Looked After Review should take place within three months (91 days) of the Initial Looked After Review;
Any subsequent Looked After Reviews should be conducted not more than six months (183 days) after any previous Review.

In relation to children in receipt of short-breaks and who are regarded as Looked After, the Initial Review should take place within three months of the first overnight stay, and then every six months or as agreed with the Independent Reviewing Officer - see also Short Breaks Procedure.

In relation to children or young people placed in secure accommodation, the Initial Review should take place within 20 working days of admission and subsequent reviews three monthly thereafter. See also Secure Accommodation (Criteria) Reviews Procedure.

In relation to children placed with prospective adopters, the cycle of reviews should start as if they had just started to be looked after - see Review of Adoptive Placements Procedure.

An emergency or early Looked After Review should be convened in the following circumstances:

As soon as practicable where a child is moved from one looked after placement to another on an unplanned basis (if the child was placed in a permanent long-term family placement consideration should be given to conducting a Disruption Meeting), or a significant change in the circumstances of a looked after child suggests his/her placement or Care Plan is no longer appropriate;
Where the Independent Reviewing Officer agrees that such a reviews should be convened, for example, upon the request of the child, parent(s) or any other significant person;
Where, as a result of a visit, the social worker’s assessment is that the child’s welfare is not being adequately safeguarded and promoted;
Where a review would not otherwise occur before the child ceases to be detained in a Young Offenders Institution (YOI) or secure training centre, or accommodated on remand;
Where the local authority proposes to cease to provide accommodation for a looked after child.

3. Convening and Co-ordinating Looked After Reviews

The social worker making a placement must make sure that a child's looked after details are recorded on ICS/Swift within 24 hours of the start of the placement. They should also contact the Review Unit within 72 hours of the child becoming looked after with a view to arranging the Initial Looked After Review (this should take place within 20 working days of the placement starting).

Dates of subsequent Looked After Reviews will be set at the conclusion of each Review or as soon as possible thereafter. If the arranged date needs to be changed for any reason, including where circumstances indicate the need for an earlier review date, the Social Worker should notify and arrange this directly with the Independent Reviewing Officer.

Should the child cease being looked after before the Review date, the Social Worker will notify the Independent Reviewing Officer in order that the arrangements for the Review can be cancelled.

All Review cancellations must be agreed by the relevant Independent Reviewing Officer. Such decisions will take into account the timeliness of the Review in accordance with required timescales.

All Reviews should take place in a comfortable, private environment. After the Initial Review, the Review Unit will endeavour to ensure that the Independent Reviewing Officer remains the same for each review. The child or young person may express a preference in terms of the gender of the Independent Reviewing Officer. In exceptional circumstances, the Independent Reviewing Officer may be changed if this is considered to be in the best interests of the child.

4. Invitations

Discussion should take place between the social worker and the child (subject to age and understanding) at least 20 working days before the meeting about who the child would like to attend the meeting and where the meeting will be held. Whenever possible, the parents/carer should be included in these discussions too.

Where the child is unable to contribute to the decisions, for example because of their age/development, the parent/carers' views must be sought.

For Initial Reviews, the Social Worker will directly invite the relevant people to the Review, in consultation with the child, parents/carers, and relevant others, and with the Independent Reviewing Officer. At the end of the Initial Review, the Independent Reviewing Officer will note who should be invited to attend the next Review. For subsequent Reviews, the Social Worker should confirm with the Review Unit who needs to be invited to the next Review at least 4 weeks in advance of the Review. The invitations will be sent by the Review Unit. A Viewpoint letter will be sent to children aged 5 years and over.

The following people should normally be considered for attending or contributing to the Looked After Review process:

The child, parents and those with Parental Responsibility, carers and any significant family members or friends;
The child's Social Worker or a representative from the appropriate fieldwork team such as a duty officer or the manager if necessary;
If there are current legal proceedings the Children's Guardian should be invited to attend and observe the meeting;
The most appropriate teacher at the child’s school (usually the Designated Teacher for looked after children);
A representative from the Local Authority in whose area it is proposed the child will be placed;
The officer with lead responsibility for implementing the authority’s duty to promote the education achievement of its looked after children - in Dudley this is the Virtual Schools Head;
A Personal Adviser if he child is over the age of 16;
A representative from health such as the child's health visitor, school health advisor, or GP;
An Advocate, Supporter or Independent Visitor, if involved.

Parents and carers will receive Consultation Booklets prior to the Review unless the Review Unit is advised that this would not be in the best interests of the child's welfare.

A review will be considered quorate when it involves the child, carer, Independent Reviewing Officer, Social Worker or Young Person's Advisor and a parent. If there are any potential risks to the child as a result of the parent's presence then discussions must take place with the Independent Reviewing Officer as to how the parent will contribute to the review process.

A key task for the Independent Reviewing Officer will be to ensure that the review process, particularly review meetings, remain child and family focused. More than one meeting may be required to ensure that the views of all relevant people inform the review without the meeting becoming too large. An appropriate balance has to be found between being prescriptive about the frequency and content of the review and allowing space to put the individual child and his/her circumstances at the centre of the process. The completion of a LAC Review Viewpoint questionnaire by the child or young person prior to the Review taking place will help to ensure that the child's voice is heard and issues from the child's perspective are raised and progressed as appropriate within the meeting.

When a child is attending the Review efforts should be made to keep the number of people present to a minimum. It may be appropriate to request written contributions from agencies (see Section 6, Contributions and Reports).

Children and parents should also be informed that they can arrange to see the Independent Reviewing Officer separately if they wish or bring a Supporter, Interpreter or Advocate to the Review (see Section 7, Supporters Advocates and Interpreters). If separate meetings need to be held with parents, these should be held before the meeting with the child and be seen as consultations on the current Care Plan.

A decision not to invite a child or parent(s) to a Review should only be made in consultation with the Independent Reviewing Officer, prior to the Review. The decision should be recorded, together with the reasons, on the review document and child's case file.

Where an invited person cannot attend the review, the Chairperson may agree that a delegate attend instead.

5. Role of the Social Worker

Before arrangements are agreed, the child's Social Worker must discuss the purpose of the Review with the child, parents and carers and consult them about a suitable date, time, venue and invitations at least 20 working days before the review meeting.

The Social Worker must ensure that the child's Looked After Children's (LAC) and other case records are up to date, and include all records of the placement visits and the last date when the child's sleeping accommodation was seen. Any changes in household members need to be clearly recorded, in accordance with data protection and confidentiality rules (see Recording Policy). The child's social worker should ensure the Independent Reviewing Officer is made aware of any significant changes to the child's circumstances prior to the review - see Section 6, Duty of Social Worker to keep IRO Informed in Appointment and Role of Independent Reviewing Officers Procedure.

In some circumstances, children looked after may also be subject to a Child Protection Plan or the subject of court proceedings. It is important to co-ordinate the timing of Child Protection Conferences and Looked After Reviews so that the former informs the latter - see Section 9, Looked After Reviews on Children who are the subject of Child Protection Plans.

However, significant changes to the child's Care Plan can only be made at the child's Looked After Review. It is the social worker's responsibility to ensure that the Independent Reviewing Officer has clear information in relation to a child/young person's legal framework and associated plans. The social worker should also advise the Independent Reviewing Officer if they are likely to be any contentious issues or if they are particular concerns about safety issues.

The child and parent(s) should be encouraged and supported by the social worker to prepare for the Review. There is a range of methods available to the child/young person:

Completion of the Viewpoint interactive computer software LAC Review Questionnaire;
Contribution in writing, drawing or audio;
Involvement with an Advocate;
Seeing the Independent Reviewing Officer prior to the Review.

The social worker should complete Part 1 (Social Worker's report) of the Child/Young Person's Looked After Review Form. This should include details of statutory visits. The Social Worker should also collate other contributions and reports and ensure that these are made available to the Independent Reviewing Officer (see Section 6, Contributions and Reports). A copy of the proposed Care Plan along with the completed reports should be forwarded to the Independent Reviewing Officer 7 days in advance of the Review (Care Plans are only required at Initial Reviews or when it is proposed to alter the plan). The social worker must advise the Independent Reviewing Officer if any of the documents are not available.

After the Review, the social worker is responsible for up-dating the Care Plan, in relation to any changes to the Care Plan agreed at the review.

The Social Worker should also update the Permanence Plan, Placement Plan, Personal Education Plan and Health Care Plan, and arrange for a Pathway Plan to be completed / updated, if appropriate. These plans will be required to be reviewed and evidence of this review produced at the Looked After Review.

The social worker is required to alert the Independent Reviewing Officer if there are any significant changes to the child's Care Plan, such as a placement breakdown or unplanned move. Where well established arrangements for a child suddenly breakdown then the Independent Reviewing Officer and all other involved parties should schedule a new review at the earliest possible opportunity to consider a new short-term plan whilst long-term options of the child are being re-considered as necessary.

Team Managers or Assistant Team Managers may be required to attend the review when there is a perceived need for their attendance such as supporting the social worker or where there are management or resource implications. Team Managers can expect to receive feedback from the Independent Reviewing Officer in accordance with the Quality Assurance Protocol.

6. Contributions and Reports

The social worker must ensure that Looked After Children's (LAC) consultation papers or other written contributions are forwarded to the Independent Reviewing Officer. In some circumstances, these contributions will not be shared with review participants if it contains third party of confidential information.

The following documents should be prepared and/or brought up to date in time for the review; and the social worker should agree with the Independent Reviewing Officer whether it is necessary to forward or distribute any of these documents before the review date:

Part 1 (Social Worker's Report) of the Child/Young Person's Looked After Review Form;
Up-to-date copy of the child's Personal Education Plan and a copy of the child's last school report;
Up-to-date copy of the child's Health Care Plan;
Copy of the child's most recent Placement Plan;
Copy of the child's Chronology;
Copy of the Pathway Plan, if relevant;
Copy of the Initial Assessment or Core Assessment, if appropriate.

The child, parent(s), carers and other relevant people/agencies must be consulted as appropriate in the preparation/up-dating of these documents. The social worker should advise the Independent Reviewing Officer if any of the above documents will be unavailable for the review. The Independent Reviewing Officer should ensure that the right steps have been taken so that the child can make a meaningful contribution to their review. In some cases, it may be necessary to conduct the review in stages such as where there are estranged parents who need to attend at different times. These arrangements should be agreed with the Independent Reviewing Officer.

7. Supporters, Advocates and Interpreters

The social worker should consider prior to the Review, in consultation with the Independent Reviewing Officer, whether the child or parent(s) would benefit from the presences of a supporter, advocate or interpreter. A supporter may be someone the child or parent knows, such as family member, friend or member of a community group; the advocate is someone with specialist skills, knowledge and training; an interpreter may be used when the child or parent's first language is not English or where there are communication issues in relation to disability. Under no circumstances should a child or young person be used as an interpreter.

The social worker should make the necessary arrangements in respect of the above.

he child or parent(s) may also be represented by a legal representative acting on their behalf. If families want to bring legal representatives consideration should be given to offering a consultation meeting prior to the review meeting rather than legal representatives attending any meeting where the child will be present.

In all cases, the Independent Reviewing Officer should be notified prior to the Review and arrangements made where appropriate for the attendance of a local authority legal adviser.

Independent Reviewing Officers should be satisfied that disabled children's contributions are obtained and effectively presented in the review, including where appropriate through the use of communication aids. An independent interpreter may be needed to help with this. Physical access to a review meeting should not be a barrier to attendance for a child.

When the child's first language is not English, the Independent Reviewing Officer should ensure that appropriate steps are taken to enable the child to participate fully in the review process and that the child's views are properly represented. An independent interpreter may be needed to help with this.

8. Chairing of Looked After Reviews

See also Appointment and Role of the Independent Reviewing Officer Procedure, which sets out in detail the role of the IRO outside the Looked After Review.

An Independent Reviewing Officer should chair the review meetings of all children who are Looked After. The Independent Reviewing Officer must not be involved in either directly in the management of the case or the management of resources allocated to the case. Chairing this meeting enables the Independent Reviewing Officer to monitor the appropriateness of the Care Plan, its implementation, and to establish whether the milestones set out in the plan are being achieved in a timely way. A crucial role for the Independent Reviewing Officer will be to ensure that there is no undue delay in implementing actions within Care Plans. If any undue delay is identified then the Independent Reviewing Officer should discuss their concerns with the appropriate manager.

The Independent Reviewing Officer will ensure that all those involved in the review meeting understand the purpose of the meeting and make a meaningful contribution to the discussion. The Independent Reviewing Officer will have a key role in ensuring that the child's views are being heard. Any differences of opinion should be recorded in the review document and child's file, and if necessary referred to the Social Worker's line manager for possible resolution. Where participants' views are not followed, an explanation of the reasons why should be provided by the Independent Reviewing Officer or the Social Worker.

The Independent Reviewing Officer must also be notified of other meetings held as part of the review process, which consider aspects of the child's Care Plan.

The Independent Reviewing Officer, as chair of the meeting, will decide on what actions, in principle, are necessary to meet the child's needs and may make recommendations as to how they should be achieved. The local authority must decide on how to implement any recommendations made by the review and will ultimately be accountable for their delivery.

The IRO should consult the child about their Care Plan at each review and at any time that there is a significant change to the Care Plan. The IRO should meet the child before the first Looked After Review and arrange to meet the child as appropriate before and / or after in advance of subsequent Looked After Reviews, to hear the child's views and clarify anything that the child may not understand. This is particularly important where children and young people are placed in specialist placements such as treatment foster care or in external care away from home.

Where there is evidence of poor practice, the IRO will consider what action is needed to bring this to the attention of the relevant and appropriate managers - see Section 15, Monitoring of Review Recommendations and also Appointment and Role of the Independent Reviewing Officers Procedure.

The Independent Reviewing Officer and local authority must seek to ensure that any process of problem resolution does not inhibit arrangements to make and implement timely plans for the child.

The Independent Reviewing Officer must, as far as reasonably practicable, take steps to ensure that the review is conducted in accordance with Regulations and in particular ensure that the child's views are understood and taken into account and that the persons responsible for implementing any recommendation are identified.

The Independent Reviewing Officer will ensure that the developmental needs of the child are identified and met through the care planning and review process and play a crucial role in ensuring that looked after children are properly safeguarded wherever they live and in securing timely and appropriate route to permanence arrangements.

The IRO may adjourn a review meeting once, for not more than 20 working days, if not satisfied that sufficient information has been provided by the Local Authority to enable proper consideration of any of the factors to be considered.

The IRO should consider the effects on the child of delaying the meeting, and seek the wishes and feelings of the child, carer and parents where appropriate.

No proposal under consideration at the adjourned review can be implemented until the review has been completed.

It will be necessary for the IRO to ensure decisions are clear and establish who is responsible for action and the timescales agreed for completion. The IRO should ensure that the following are considered and accounted for during the review:

The effect of any change in the child’s circumstances since the last review, any change made to the Care Plan, whether decisions taken at the last review have been successfully implemented and if not the reasons;
Whether any change should be sought in the child’s legal status;
Whether there is a plan for permanence;
Arrangements for contact/whether there is any need for changes to the arrangements in order to promote contact between the child and parents/other Connected Persons;
Whether the placement continues to be the most appropriate available, whether any change to the placement agreement or any other aspect of the arrangements is likely to become necessary before the next review;
The child’s educational needs, progress and development and whether any change is likely to become necessary or desirable before the next review, including consideration of his/her most recent assessment of progress and development; whether the arrangements are meeting the child’s educational needs; whether the child has a Personal Education Plan (PEP) and whether its content provides a clear framework for promoting educational achievement;
The child’s leisure interests and activities and whether the arrangements are meeting his/her needs;
The child’s health report, and whether any change in health care arrangements is likely to be necessary or desirable before the next review; whether the content of the Health Plan provides a clear framework for promoting the child’s health; whether the arrangements are meeting the child’s health needs;
Whether the child’s needs related to identity are being met and whether any change is required having regard to the child’s religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural background;
Whether the arrangements for advice, support and assistance continue to be appropriate and understood by the child;
Whether any arrangements need to be made for the time when the child will no longer be looked after;
The child’s wishes and feelings and the views of the IRO about any aspect of the case and in particular about any changes made since the last review or proposed to be made to the Care Plan; whether the plan fulfils the duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare and whether it would be in the child’s interests for an Independent Visitor to be appointed;
Where the child is placed with parents before an assessment is completed, the frequency of the social worker’s visits.

9. Looked After Reviews on Children who are the subject of Child Protection Plans

Where a looked after child remains the subject of a Child Protection Plan, there should be a single planning and reviewing process, led by the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO), leading to the development of a single plan.

Consideration should be given to the IRO chairing the Child Protection Conference where a looked after child remains subject to a Child Protection Plan. Where that is not possible, it will be expected that the IRO will attend the Child Protection Review Conference.

The timing of the review of the child protection aspects of the Care Plan should be as in Section 2, Frequency of Looked After Reviews above.

The Looked After Review, when reviewing the child protection aspects of the plan, should consider whether the criteria continue to be met for the child to remain the subject of a Child Protection Plan.

Consideration must be given to ensuring that the multi-agency contribution to the review of the Child Protection Plan is addressed within the review of the Care Plan.

10. Looked After Review Standards

The Review should begin with introductions and explanations for attending individuals;
Reviews should begin on time;
Plain language will be used and any special terms explained;
Reviews will be honest and open;
Every effort will be made to keep discussions informal;
Independent Reviewing Officers will ensure that issues of importance to children and their families are fully discussed;
Young people and their parents or carers will be encouraged to fully express their views and opinions in relation to care planning;
All contributions will be listened to and considered when the Care Plan and placement arrangements are being formulated or reviewed;
Any differences of opinion will be fully addressed and if one viewpoint cannot be fully included in the final plan or arrangements, reasons will be given;
Offensive behaviour or language will not be permitted and the perpetrator will ultimately be asked to leave the Review by the Independent Reviewing Officer, who reserves the right to suspend the Review in exceptional circumstances;
The Review will recognise the child's strengths and positive achievements as well any difficulties;
Whenever appropriate, plans will include how a child or young person can start to live with their family again;
Plans should be clear and time limited;
The recommendations and plans made in the current review will be written down in plain, ordinary language and circulated to all participants. These should be done within 14 days of the review;
The Review will be consistent with statutory regulations and Directorate procedures;
Where the plans for permanence/long-term care have been implemented, the Review should only be attended by those directly involved with the care of the child or young person.
In circumstances where the child or young person does not attend the Review, the Review should identify someone to share the outcomes of the meeting with the child/young person;
The child should be made aware of their rights and the review should ensure that the child has received appropriate information about being looked after.

11. Permanence Planning and Review

The Independent Reviewing Officer must check that the child's Care Plan includes a Permanence Plan with measurable milestones and a contingency plan should the preferred plans not materialise. The plan for permanency should be in place within 4 months of the child becoming looked after. At subsequent reviews, the Chairperson must ensure that the Permanence Plan is actively monitored and consideration given to an alternative contingency plan is the former cannot be achieved.

The Review may consider that adoption is the most appropriate way to meet the child's needs but the decision that this is in the child's best interests is made on the recommendation by the Adoption or Adoption Panel to the local authority Agency Decision Maker in accordance with Adoption Agencies Regulations - see Placement for Adoption Procedure.

12. Recording of Looked After Reviews

The Independent Reviewing Officer should ensure that a Record of Discussion and Review Recommendations are completed and these are circulated to the appropriate people within five working days of the meeting. This should also be sent to the designated senior manager who will consider the decisions made at the review - see Section 13, Review Recommendations and Decisions.

A summary of the Review and the recommendation should be circulated within five working days and the full minute record within 15 working days of the review meeting. The Review Unit will send copies out to all relevant parties who have provided their full name and address on the attendance sheet within 20 working days of the completion of the review.

The decisions should have any identifying details removed as necessary, for example, exceptionally, the address of the placement.

All review documentation should be seen and signed by the relevant Independent Reviewing Officer, and a copy retained on the review file within the Review Unit, together with any other written contributions.

The Independent Reviewing Officer must complete Part A of the LAC Review Monitoring Form, and if appropriate Part B and Part C. This information will be inputted into an electronic system to assist with service monitoring and planning.

Where parents do not attend the review/part of the meeting and contribute their views in some other manner, a discussion should take place between the social worker and the IRO as to whether it is in the child’s interest for the parents to receive a full record of the review, and, if not, what written information should be sent to them. Examples of where this should be a consideration are where there is a ‘no contact order’ or supervised contact only (see also Section 14, Notifications).

13. Review Recommendations and Decisions

A designated senior member of staff should consider the recommendations and decisions made at each Looked After Review within five working days of receiving them and to advise the IRO and all those who attended the review if they are unable to agree them.

If no response is received the decisions should be considered agreed by the Local Authority and should be implemented within the timescales set out in them.

If the senior member of staff disagrees with any of the decisions within that initial five working day period, this should be notified in writing to the IRO and all those who attended the review.

In the first instance the IRO should attempt to resolve the issue informally. If this is not successful the IRO can consider activating the local dispute resolution process - see Section 16, Resolution of Problems.

14. Notifications

The child, the parents, others with Parental Responsibility and other persons considered appropriate should be notified of the outcomes of the Review - see Section 12, Recording of Looked After Reviews. There may be exceptions to this and such reasons for not sharing the outcomes of the review with individuals must be included within the minutes of the meeting and held on the child's file.

The notification should include:

A clear summary of the decisions and recommendations;
A statement of who is responsible for implementing particular decisions and timescales.

Where possible, written notification should be accompanied by a verbal explanation by the social worker. Where children and young people are sent key documents such as review forms, they should be encouraged to keep them in a safe place.

15. Monitoring of Review Recommendations

The child's social worker will be responsible for implementing Review recommendations and changes to the Care Plan, progress in a case will be discussed with the Team Manager during supervision.

The Independent Reviewing Officer will be responsible for checking that the local authority has taken steps to implement recommendations and changes to the Care Plan arising from the review meeting. In some cases, there will be a clear and valid reason for some actions not to take place; the Independent Reviewing Officer must ensure that the review considers the outcome of these actions. Independent Reviewing Officers will track cases in accordance with the locally agreed Quality Assurance Protocol.

Where the Independent Reviewing Officer is concerned about delay in progressing the relevant plans for the child, this will be raised with the appropriate team manager or Divisional Manager in accordance with the locally agreed Quality Assurance Protocol. In some cases, in discussion with the Independent Reviewing Officer's line manager, the date for the next Looked After Review will need to be brought forward.

16. Resolution of Problems

Where the IRO believes that the Local Authority has failed in any significant respect to prepare the child’s Care Plan; review the child’s case or effectively implement any decision in consequence of a review; or are otherwise in breach of their duties to the child in any material respect, the following procedure will apply:

Informal resolution through a professionals meeting to include the Team Managers of both the social worker's team and the IRO;
If no resolution is reached at this stage a referral should be made by the Independent Review Unit to the relevant senior manager in the local authority;
If there is still no resolution, the matter should be brought to the attention of the Chief Executive.

The IRO has the authority to refer the case to CAFCASS where he or she considers it appropriate to do so and must consider a referral to CAFCASS where, having followed the dispute resolution procedure and drawn any failures as set out above to the attention of persons of appropriate seniority in the Local Authority, the issues have not been addressed to his or her satisfaction within a reasonable period of time.

For further information please see Appointment and Role of Independent Reviewing Officer Procedure.

Independent Reviewing Officers should always advise children of their right to make a complaint under the local authority's Complaints Procedure, or the local authority's responsibility to provide the child or young person with an independent Advocate should the child so wish. In such cases, it is important that the Independent Reviewing Officer, Complaints Officer and the Advocate agree their respective roles and responsibilities in trying to resolve a complaint or problem and how they will communicate with each other.

End