Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove has today written to Professor Eileen Munro to invite her to conduct an independent review of children’s social work and frontline child protection practice. Children’s Minister Tim Loughton and Professor Munro outlined the broad remit and length of the review which will look at how to remove the barriers and bureaucracy which prevent social workers spending valuable time with vulnerable children.
In a letter to Professor Eileen Munro, ministers paid tribute to the dedication and hard work of frontline professionals, but expressed concern that the child protection system in England is still not working well enough.
Tim Loughton also wrote to all chairs of local safeguarding children boards, and directors of children’s services to confirm that the overview report and the executive summary of all new serious case reviews (SCRs) initiated from today should be published. The presumption is that all SCRs will be appropriately redacted, anonymised and published in full except where it would affect the welfare of any surviving children and their siblings.
The Government will also confirm its intention to scrap the ContactPoint database as soon as possible.
The Government wants to review the system with the question ‘What helps or hinders professionals from making the best judgments and interventions they can to protect a vulnerable child?’ to reform frontline social work practice. Ministers want to strengthen the profession so social workers are in a better position to make well-informed judgments, based on up-to-date evidence, in the best interests of children, free from unnecessary bureaucracy and regulation.
Ministers want Professor Munro’s review to set out the obstacles preventing these improvements and the steps required to bring about improved social work practice. This should include considering how effectively children’s social workers and professionals in other agencies work together. Ministers are clear that any review should be informed by the strongest systems of child protection in other countries.
Further information
The letter outlining the Terms of Reference and remit letter is available for download on this page [pdf, 1mb]
Letter from Tim Loughton MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families, to all chief executives, directors of children's services, and lead members for children's services about a change to the statutory guidance set out in Chapter 8 or Working Together to Safeguard Children (2010) relating to the publication of serious case reviews [pdf, 673kb]
The Written Ministerial Statement on the launch of the Munro Review can be downloaded from this page [pdf, 749kb]
Footage from Childrens Minister Tim Loughton's visit to Liz Atkinson Children's Centre, London
Please see the press notice relating to the Munro Review for more information