Your IRO is another social worker who oversees your case and makes sure your social worker and the local authority are doing everything they are meant to do. You can find out lots more about IROs in Chapter 8, because they are very important people for looked after children. Your IRO should talk to you by yourself before every review of your case to find out if you are happy with how things are going. Your IRO will also lead the review meeting – this means they’ll be the main person and do a lot of the talking. If you’re really upset about something that’s going wrong while you’re looked after, your IRO must tell you how to make a complaint or how to get advice from lawyers if you need it. Your IRO must help you find the best person to advise you, and they must explain to you what advocacy is and how an advocate could help you (see the next section of this chapter for more about advocates). If you have a serious complaint your IRO must decide whether to ask the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) to help if you live in England, or similar family support services if you live in Wales. |
