Independent Review

The Independent Review of Children's Social Care

The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (the Review) represents a once in a generation opportunity to improve services provided to children and families in Northern Ireland and a chance to improve the conditions in which social workers deliver these services.

The Review was commissioned by the former Minister for Health, Robin Swann, and commenced in February 2022. 

Led by Professor Ray Jones, the final Review report was published in June 2023. The publication followed more than a year-long period of engagement with stakeholders involved in the children’s social care sector, with a particular focus on the views of experts by experience—children and young people living in care, their families, and care experienced adults.  

To inform the Review, BASW NI and the NI Social Care Council jointly conducted research exploring social workers’ views on what constitute the core roles and key skills of children’s services social workers. The findings of the research, which went on to influence the outcome of the Review, were published in February 2023 as the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services—Core Social Work Roles Survey: Research Findings. 

The Review report made 53 recommendations to deliver wholescale change to Children’s Services. BASW NI warmly welcomed the document and our position is outlined in detail in BASW NI’s response to the Department of Health’s subsequent consultation on the Review’s recommendations. 

In summarising our views concerning some of Professor Jones’s key recommendations, BASW NI supports: 

  • The need for a reset and refocus for children’s services to give a greater focus and attention to family support, with more help for families to assist them to care well for their children, with expansion of Sure Start and other family support services, including for children aged 4-10 years. 
  • Action to address the children’s social care workforce crisis including an improved focus on staff retention, a review and revision of grading and banding structures, and the enhancement of Post-Qualifying Development programmes and qualifications for social workers, linked to specialist areas of practice and to career progression. 
  • A prohibition on the privatisation of the care of children. 
  • Longer-term funding commitments to replace one-year budgets which create insecurity in service planning. 
  • Regional consistency in the organisation and delivery of children’s services 
  • The need for increased funding and investment to respond to the growing poverty which creates difficulties for children and families, and action to be taken to tackle through welfare benefit changes, the increasing prevalence and intensity of child poverty. 
  • Expansion in respite care for children with a disability and for children receiving respite care not to be regarded as looked after children. 
  • The development of emotional health and well-being services separate from clinical CAMHS services.  
  • The extension of the transition period where appropriate and necessary for young people moving to adult services and the introduction of a region-wide transitions advice and advocacy service.  
  • Further development of a skills mix within children and families frontline teams and services.  
  • Placing care experienced people at the centre of further consultation on the Review’s recommendations. 
  • Adoption of the best performing of the existing children’s social care information systems as a region-wide system rather than developing Encompass to incorporate the information systems requirements for children’s social care. 

In addition, BASW NI supports Professor Jone’s recommendation for the introduction of a region-wide children’s and families Arms-Length Body (ALB) which includes current Health and Social Care Trust statutory children’s social care services along with other allied services and professions closely related to children’s social care. 

We support the recommendation for the appointment of a NI Executive Minster exclusively responsible for children’s social care, however BASW NI contends the Minster’s portfolio should be within the Executive Office (TEO) rather than the Department of Health.  

More detail on BASW NI’s views on the creation of an ALB are available in our Position Statement on Proposals for a children’s social care Arms-Length Body & Minister for Children & Families made as part of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services. 

BASW NI’s views on other of the Review’s recommendations, including proposals to develop a Regional Care and Justice Centre on the Woodlands site, are outlined in detail in our consultation response. 

BASW NI is working closely with the Department of Health to shape the implementation of the Review recommendations. We are involved in the Department’s Workstream on Legislation and Policy Reform and its Workstream on Reducing Bureaucracy. 

We are also working with members of the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Health to ensure the Department is held to account with regards to its progress in implementing the recommendations.