This service ensures that children in Waltham Forest who are in care or subject of a Child Protection Plan have a Care or Child Protection Plan with clear outcomes and identified timescales to ensure their safety and protection. This is to make sure that children & young people receive the right care and protection. We do this by chairing all the Child Protection Conferences and Child in Care Reviews on young people.

There are two distinct teams of staff who undertake this work within the Child Protection & Reviewing Service. Independent Reviewing Officers (IRO’s) chair reviews for children & young people who are in care, & Child Protection Co-ordinators who chair Child Protection Conferences.

This means that the Child Protection and Review Service has an overview of all the children & young people who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan and those that are in care. The service has a role in scrutinising standards of practice and outcomes for children. Due to these roles IRO’s & Child Protection Co-ordinators are in a position to monitor and identify trends in the areas of Child Protection and Children in Care.

Independent Reviewing Officers undertake this work by:

  • chairing all reviews for children & young people in care
  • monitoring the attendance at reviews
  • ensuring that children & young people fully participate in their reviews
  • following up any concerns about the progress of the plan for the child or young person between Reviews
  • The administration of Reviews (this is undertaken by administrative staff in the team).

Child Protection Co-ordinators undertake this work by:

  • chairing Child Protection conferences
  • monitoring the attendance, participation of children and parents and quality of input at all Child Protection conferences
  • maintaining the list of children who are the subject of a Child Protection Plan
    • Administration of Child Protection conferences (this is undertaken by administrative staff in the team)
    • chairing complex Strategy Meetings
    • offering consultation on complex child protection cases.

To view the following information leaflets in PDF format click on the relevant link:

Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)

For the LSCB web site, please click here

Contact us

Call Waltham Forest Direct on 020 8496 3000 and ask for the Child Protection and Reviewing Service or call us direct on any of the following numbers: 020 8496 8279 or 020 8496 8285.