Select committee: Human Rights (Joint Committee)
Conclusion 53
2nd Report - Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England
Published 27 Aug 2026
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Human Rights (Joint Committee) Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) should be part of a system that ensures that children have their human rights respected whilst in care. However, we have heard that IROs sometimes struggle to challenge local authorities with independence. We note with concern evidence we have received suggesting a low number of referrals from IROs. We are also concerned that the membership organisation for IROs has told us that Officers have been bullied, threatened with disciplinary action, or sacked for raising legitimate challenges in relation to children’s rights. If this is taking place, it is absolutely unacceptable. (Conclusion, Paragraph 256)
From: Human Rights (Joint Committee), 2nd Report - Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England (HC 161), 27 August 2026
Government response
No government response linked yet: deadline 27 October 2026, 5 days ago.