Dear Wandsworth Borough Council,

The information requested

This request seeks information about the independent review officer function for statutory reviews of children looked after by the authority. This information is requested for multiple time periods, as follows: 200/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10.

A. Personnel on date

1. Number of staff, in whole time equivalents (WTE), employed by the authority as IROs. This includes staff on permanent and fixed term contracts;
2. Number of people (WTE) engaged as IROs by the authority through a staffing agency;
3. Number of people (persons) approved by the authority to perform IRO functions who are neither employed nor engaged by the authority through an agency

Exclude personnel supervising or administering the activities of IROs.

This information should be provided as at one day of the year, for example 30 September. Please state which date has been used in the response.

B. Activity in year

Number of statutory reviews carried out in year by:

4. Staff employed by the authority as IROs on permanent and fixed term contracts;
5. People engaged by the authority through a staffing agency as IROs;
6. People approved by the authority to perform IRO functions that are neither employed nor engaged by the authority through an agency.

C. Expenditure in year

Expenditure, excluding payments for mileage and subsistence, on statutory review activity undertaken by:

7. Staff permanently employed by the authority as IROs. This includes staff on permanent and fixed term contracts;
8. People engaged by the authority through a staffing agency as IROs; and,
9. People approved by the authority to perform IRO functions who are neither employed nor engaged by the authority through an agency

Definitions

Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)

An IRO is employed or retained by the authority and performs the following tasks:
• chairs the authority’s looked after children reviews;
• monitors the authority’s review of the care plan; and
• where necessary, refers cases to the Children and Families Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) to take legal action as a last resort if the failure to implement the care plan might be considered to breach the child’s human rights.

If staff undertaking IRO duties carry out roles in addition to statutory reviews, for example, chairing child protection case conferences, pro rata the total number of WTE to reflect the proportion of time spent on children looked after.

Personnel supervising or administering the activities of IROs are excluded from this request.

Children looked after

‘Children looked after’ refers to children and young people who are:
• in an adoptive placement, prior to an adoption order, are covered by the legislation.
• subject of a care order (under section 31 of the Children Act 1989);
• voluntarily accommodated for a period of more than 24 hours (section 20 of the Children Act 1989), including those described in Short Break Care;
• placed for adoption under the Adoption and Children Act 2002; or,
• compulsorily looked after such as those remanded by the court to the local authority accommodation.

Statutory reviews

Statutory reviews are meetings chaired by an IRO which considers the plan for the welfare of the child, monitors the progress of the plan and make decisions to amend the plan as necessary in the light of changed knowledge and circumstances.

Frequency of reviews

Under the provisions of the Review of Children’s Cases Regulations (1991)3 local authorities are required to review the case of any child who is Looked After or provided with accommodation as follows:
• first review must take place within 28 days of the date upon which the child begins to be looked after or provided with accommodation;
• second review must be carried out no later than 3 months after the first review;,
• subsequent reviews shall be carried out not more than 6 months after the date of the previous review; and,
• reviews may be brought forward under certain circumstances

Years

All ‘annual’ data should be provided for financial years, i.e. 1 April to 31 March of succeeding year.

All ‘date’ data should be provided for one date in the financial year e.g. 31 March.

Expenditure

Expenditure excludes payments for travel and subsistence.

Expenditure includes:
• salaries and employer on-costs for staff employed by the authority on permanent and fixed term contracts;
• fees paid to staffing agencies as well as remuneration to individuals;
• fees paid to people approved by the authority to perform IRO functions that are neither employed nor engaged by the authority.

Yours faithfully,

Edward Rudolf

Dear Freedom Of Information,

Freedom of Information Request - 2010/ 4021 - IRO services and children
looked after

Further to reply of 3 December 2010 I would like to reduce the scope of my request as set out below.
The information requested

This request seeks information about the independent review officer
function for statutory reviews of children looked after by the
authority. This information is requested for multiple time periods,
as follows: 200/07, 2007/08, 2008/09 and 2009/10.

A. Personnel on date

1. Number of staff, in whole time equivalents (WTE), employed by the authority as IROs. This includes staff on permanent and fixed term contracts;
2. Number of people (WTE) engaged as IROs by the authority through a staffing agency;
3. Number of people (persons) approved by the authority to perform IRO functions who are neither employed nor engaged by the authority
through an agency

Exclude personnel supervising or administering the activities of
IROs.

This information should be provided as at one day of the year, for example 30 September. Please state which date has been used in the response.

Definitions

Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)

An IRO is employed or retained by the authority and performs the
following tasks:
• chairs the authority’s looked after children reviews;
• monitors the authority’s review of the care plan; and
• where necessary, refers cases to the Children and Families Court
Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) to take legal action as a
last resort if the failure to implement the care plan might be
considered to breach the child’s human rights.

If staff undertaking IRO duties carry out roles in addition to
statutory reviews, for example, chairing child protection case
conferences, pro rata the total number of WTE to reflect the
proportion of time spent on children looked after.

Personnel supervising or administering the activities of IROs are
excluded from this request.

Children looked after

‘Children looked after’ refers to children and young people who
are:
• in an adoptive placement, prior to an adoption order, are covered
by the legislation.
• subject of a care order (under section 31 of the Children Act
1989);
• voluntarily accommodated for a period of more than 24 hours
(section 20 of the Children Act 1989), including those described in
Short Break Care;
• placed for adoption under the Adoption and Children Act 2002; or,
• compulsorily looked after such as those remanded by the court to
the local authority accommodation.

Statutory reviews

Statutory reviews are meetings chaired by an IRO which considers
the plan for the welfare of the child, monitors the progress of the
plan and make decisions to amend the plan as necessary in the light
of changed knowledge and circumstances.

Years

All ‘date’ data should be provided for one date in the financial year e.g. 31 March.

Yours faithfully,

Edward Rudolf