Independent Reviewing Officer

Gloucestershire County Council; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority organization in Gloucester is hiring an Independent Reviewing Officer to ensure the best outcomes for looked-after children. You will lead statutory reviews, monitor care plans, and work collaboratively with various professionals. Candidates should possess a recognized social work qualification and extensive experience in children's social work. This role offers an annual salary between £50,788-£52,805, flexible working options, and generous leave policies.

Benefits

£5,000 welcome payment

Up to £2,000 retention payment

25.5 days annual leave

Flexible working opportunities

Qualifications

• Social Work England registration is essential.
• Minimum 5 years' experience in children’s social work.
• Experience in chairing complex meetings.

Responsibilities

• Chair statutory reviews for looked-after children.
• Monitor progress and quality of Care Plans.
• Collaborate with professionals across agencies.

Skills

Strong understanding of legislation

Excellent communication

Critical thinking

Record-keeping

Education

Recognised Social Work qualification

Job description

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Independent Reviewing Officer, Gloucester

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Client:

Gloucestershire County Council

Location:

Gloucester, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

b0b398b3d1c2

Job Views:

8

Posted:

01.08.2025

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Job Description:

This is a Gloucestershire County Council job.

• Job Title: Independent Reviewing Officer
• Job Location: Shire Hall, Gloucester
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Closing Date: 10/08/2025
• Job Requisition Number: 11862

We are currently recruiting for an Independent Reviewing Officer to join our Reviewing Service.

Reward and Support

For all your hard work, you will receive the following:

• between £50,788- £52,805 per annum (subject to experience)
• welcome payment of up to £5,000*
• retention payment of up to £2,000*
• flexible and agile working opportunities
• 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years’ continuous service
• option to purchase 10 days of additional leave per year (pro rata for part-time staff)
• family-friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family
• supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
• access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for 24/7 confidential support
• in-house Occupational Health service
• cycle to work scheme
• links to employee networks including Prism (LGBT+) and the Young Employees NetworkCareer development and qualification opportunities
• access to our Social Work Academy

Right child, right support, right time, every time

We are working together to support families and communities to give every child the best chance of a happy and rewarding life, especially those who need more help.

Gloucestershire offers a range of opportunities to develop your career, supported by a phenomenal Social Work Academy offer, a developing systemic practice methodology, an ambitious leadership team and an award-winning workforce.

Gloucestershire Children’s Services are improving. Our latest Ofsted inspection (February 2022) identified that:

‘Significant progress has been made in many areas of Gloucestershire’s children’s services… significant financial investment and the backing of political leaders, has led to improved services that are now more effective in meeting the needs of children and families’.

We are a local authority adopting, and training all colleagues in, systemic social work practice. If you would like to be part of an authority that takes a relational approach to working with families and focuses on what needs to change in the system around a child and family to enable children to thrive, then consider a role with GCC.

About the role

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) to join our Reviewing Service and champion the needs of looked-after children in Gloucestershire.

You will:

• Chair statutory reviews for looked-after children in line with IRO Regulations and national guidance
• Ensure that reviews are timely, child-centred, and delivered to a high professional standard
• Monitor the progress and quality of Care Plans, actively addressing any drift or delay
• Provide robust challenge and escalate concerns to senior management and CAFCASS as needed
• Ensure the meaningful involvement of children, young people, families, and carers
• Collaborate with professionals across agencies and support improvements to practice
• Promote equality and consider the individual needs of each child, including factors such as race, disability, religion, and identity

About you

• Social Work England registration and a recognised Social Work qualification (e.g. DipSW, CQSW)
• A minimum of 5 years' post-qualifying experience in children’s social work, including child protection and care proceedings
• Experience chairing complex meetings and managing conflict
• Strong understanding of legislation, permanence planning, safeguarding, and quality assurance
• Excellent communication, critical thinking, and record-keeping skills
• A full UK driving licence and willingness to travel

How to apply

We reserve the right to close an advertisement earlier than the stated closing date if we receive a suitable number of applications.

If you would like to find out more about our Children's Service please take a look here:

Under the terms of our Safer Recruitment Policy, if you are invited to interview, we will take up safeguarding references prior to your interview to understand your suitability to work with vulnerable children. These references will then be discussed in your interview. Please give details of at least two referees, one of whom must be your present and/or last employer and the other from a previous employer(s). These will need to cover the last three years of employment/education. In the case of applicants leaving full time education or not having worked since doing so, the Head of School, College or University should be one of the named referees.We do not accept references from friends or family members or workplace colleagues (who are not more senior).To ensure we process your application in a speedy and efficient way, we will contact your referees by DocuSign. Where appropriate, please inform them of your application.

Additional Information

To access the Job Profile for this role, please follow the link below:-

This position is subject to a DBS check.

Gloucestershire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people or vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We want to be an employer of choice, attracting and retaining excellent people to work for us, so that we can best serve all of Gloucestershire’s diverse communities. Our promise to you is that we will provide an inclusive and supportive working environment that enables you to bring your whole self to work and realise your full potential.

It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a ‘customer facing role’ must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.