The Munro Review of Child Protection: Interim Report - The Child's Journey
Wednesday, 09 February 2011 07:00
The Munro Review of Child Protection: Interim Report - The Child's Journey was published today. A link to the report can be found below.
The report sets out the characteristics of an effective child protection system, and the reforms that might help to create such a system. It highlights the importance of having multi-agency services based in the community to help keep children safe and support their wellbeing, identify the children and families most in need and give them help as early as possible.
Two recommendations, designed to reduce bureaucracy, are made:
- Announced inspections should end as part of forthcoming revisions to the inspection framework, in favour of unannounced inspections with a broader remit across the contribution of all children's services to the protection of children.
- Ofsted evaluations of Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) should end in due course. Instead the quality of learning more generally should be given greater coverage within the overall inspection process.
Other areas of potential reform include:
- Developing social work expertise by keeping experienced, more senior social workers on the front line so they can develop their skills and better supervise more junior social workers;
- Giving professionals -health, police and family support services easier access to social work advice when they have concerns about abuse and neglect; and
- Revising and reducing the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children so that core rules are separated from professional advice.
During the review's final phase, ahead of final recommendations to Government in April 2011, the review will seek further help from each profession within the sector to develop the reforms proposed in the report.
The Family Justice Review is working closely with Professor Munro to develop joined up recommendations which will improve the system as a whole.
If you have any thoughts or comments on the work of the Munro team, they would be happy to hear them and can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
