Issue - meetings

To consider the findings of a basic checklist audit into  looked after children reviews  undertaken by the Independent Review Officers.

The Independent Review  Officers had used a basic  checklist to carry out a random sample analysis  of looked after children reviews.  The  audit was designed as   quick process  that could provide some immediate data and create a benchmark for future audits .  At the time of the audit there had been vacant IRO posts which were now in the process of being filled therefore  in future there would be more capacity to compile a more  sophisticated audit which would highlight any underlying issues that needed attention and resolution in the children’s service.

 The  IRO officer  spoke of the positive findings from the audit which were the   rate  that decisions  from the  LAC review were implemented and  ensuring that a children were  included and  prepared for their LAC review.  The areas to be further investigated by the IRO officers  were  the  number of social work reports not available  and total  number of care plans available for inspections These findings were  being  discussed with children’s service  and  the IRO’s recognised that  there was a need to be more rigorous in identifying and reporting  where a care plan or social work report had not been found. The increase in IRO officers would assist with this .

Regarding the number of   total care plans available, Members were assured that the figure reported did not mean that  no care plan was in place. There were  either  legal care plans or draft  care plans in place which had not formally been  drafted.The Committee were further advised that there would be recommendations  coming forward from the IRO officers about the  implementation of care plans for Social  workers to follow.  The Committee suggested alternative ways of looking at the data concerning  LAC reviews such as examining the  timescale of  when the care plans are being completed within.  The Committee learned that the IRO’s had completed a further audit  on the care of LAC  examining cases in September ,October, November  which would be reported back to the Committee in the new year.

The Committee were informed that the  Quality Assurance and  Practice Development service had been in place since June and  its role was to provide independent scrutiny  on the systems and process  in place for  the care of children.  The service were  working  on a  quality assurance  framework  and a report on this development work  focused on  Looked after Children could be considered by the Committee at their January meeting.