What Independent Safeguarding Reviewing (ISRO)s do?

The law [Children Act 1989] says that when you first come into care an ISRO (Independent Safeguarding & Reviewing Officer) must be appointed. Once appointed they MUST speak in private with each child before their Review.

Your Looked After Child Review meeting is a chance for everyone to talk about your placement, the plans that are being made for you while you are being looked after and how you are getting on. You will also be asked your views on where and how the meetings are held.

There will be an ISRO chairing the meeting to make sure your opinions are listened to. Your ISRO will continue to Chair these meetings until you turn 18 years old.

The meetings will take place as follows:

• The first Review meeting should be held within 20 working days of you becoming Looked After
• The next one will be 3 months after that
• The meeting will then be held every 6 months

The main job of the ISRO is to make sure that your Care and Support Plan meets your needs. They will do this by:

• Chairing your Review
• Letting you have your own say in your Review
• By following up to make sure that people actually do what they agreed to do

These are your Reviews, and it is very important that you make sure that the ISRO knows how you feel and what you want to happen.

The ISRO also has a job to make sure that the Local Authority knows when it is not doing well enough as a “Corporate Parent” for children in its care. ISROs will also tell Local Authorities about where things are going particularly well for children.

Where decisions have been made or actions have been taken that are not best for you and a Local Authority is failing to act in a child’s best interest, the ISRO can report them to CAFCASS (Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service). CAFCASS may then ask a court to look into the matter further.

The ISRO Pledge