Eileen Munro’s final report on Child Protection published…
10th May 2011
The Munro Review’s final report on child protection social work has been published today. The report is the culmination of Professor Eileen Munro’s investigation into the way England’s child protection system works, and where it can be improved.
Key recommendations from the report include…
- Early Intervention Services should be a statutory duty: Councils should legally have to provide early intervention services to families. The government should place a statutory duty on local authorities and their partners to ensure enough provision of early intervention services.
- Less bureaucracy and targets: Children’s social work services should be freed from government targets and bureaucracy, allowing social workers to spend more time with service users and less time completing paperwork.
- Principal social workers for each council: Every council should have a principal children and families social worker. The role would support frontline practitioners in their casework, whilst also giving child protection workers a voice in local authorities’ decision making processes.
- National chief social worker: A national chief social workers should be appointed, to work with the network of principal social workers and act as the voice of practitioners, rather than the voice of managers.
The Munro Review is a key milestone in children’s social work in England, and has been initially welcomed by key figures. Many have highlighted the opportunity that now exisits to make significant changes for the better, and ensure more effective provision of child protection social work services.
Have your say on the Munro Review and other issues effecting social work in The 2011 social work survey. To complete the survey online, click here.
Our previous articles:
- Video: Eileen Munro on child-protection
- Munro: Child protection system is more focused on bureaucracy than keeping children safe
