Independent Reviewing Officer and Conference Chair

We Manage Jobs(WMJobs); Shrewsbury; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in England is seeking a Children's Independent Reviewing Officer and Conference Chair to oversee planning processes for children in care and ensure compliance with childcare legislation. The ideal candidate will be a qualified social worker with extensive experience in child protection and a passion for advocating for children's needs. This role offers competitive pay and opportunities for professional development while working within a supportive team committed to making a difference in children's lives.

Benefits

Competitive rates of pay

Local Government Pension Scheme

Flexible working policy

Generous leave entitlement

Employee assistance programme

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years post-qualified experience working with children in care or child protection.
• Knowledge of relevant childcare legislation and statutory guidance.
• Ability to facilitate multi-agency meetings and ensure child-centered planning.

Responsibilities

• Ensure plans for children reflect their individual needs.
• Maintain focus on achieving best outcomes and regulatory compliance.
• Lead multi-agency meetings to discuss child welfare.

Skills

Communication skills

Relationship building

Analytical skills

Negotiation skills

Knowledge of child protection

Education

Social Work qualification

Registered with Social Work England

Job description

Children’s Independent Reviewing Officer and Conference Chair

£51,726 - £54,856 per annum (Salaries include market factor where applicable)

37 Hours Per Week - Fixed term 6 Months

Full reimbursement of Social Work England registration fee

Essential Car User Allowance

Do you aspire to work for an ‘Outstanding’ Local Authority?

And can you peel back the layers…?

Children and young people are at the heart of all we do. The qualities that are important to them are:

• Understanding that there are layers to a person, a practitioner’s ability to see the person as a 'whole'
• The ability to practice care and kindness
• Being able to really listen to children and young people - what are their views, hopes, aspirations and worries?
• The ability to communicate well

Our family are usually the people closest to us, those we care most about. Family life is not just about legal ties – it goes far deeper than that. It concerns our most important biological, social and emotional relationships. We hold the value that children and young people are best cared for by their birth families and extended networks, and this underpins our ‘family first’ ethos. Where this cannot be achieved, we seek to ensure that children and young people’s relationships are maintained in line with their best interests. Birth parents and extended networks are included within the decision-making processes and we provide alternative care which is nurturing and which fosters a sense of belonging.

There has never been a more exciting time to join our service: alongside making a difference to the lives of individuals and families, we have adopted exciting new strengths-based approaches and are passionate about delivering continuous service improvement.

Our Independent Reviewing Officers and Conference Chairs are tasked with ensuring that plans for children fully reflect the individual needs of children and young people and that all planning processes meet regulatory requirements, reflect best practice and maintain a focus on achieving best outcomes.

Here in Telford and Wrekin - we aspire to place relationships at the forefront of practice and whilst ensuring that the child's voice is heard and listened to. As the conference and review chair it is your job to ensure that plans are child focused, robust, and achievable and to challenge if plans are not progressing or meeting a child’s needs.

The Ideal Candidate will be:

• Social Work qualified and be registered with Social Work England.
• At least 5 years post-qualified and have experience of working with and developing effective relationships with children in care or the subject of child protection plans.
• Knowledgeable of relevant childcare legislation and statutory guidance, including a clear understanding of the IRO handbook, Working Together and the Care Planning Regulations.
• Focused on achieving great outcomes for children and young people, using a solutions-focused approach to challenge and promote best practice.
• Able to work both virtually and in person with children, families and partner agencies.
• Driven to ensure the child’s voice is heard and central to planning and decision making.
• Experienced at managing multi‑agency meetings.
• Be able to analyse and evaluate information effectively and negotiate with colleagues.

Our brilliant practitioners are at the heart of our ambitious approach to improve outcomes for children and families in Telford and Wrekin: from tailored in‑house training to the West Midlands Teaching Partnership, we ensure that our workforce have access to the best development opportunities.

Here at Telford and Wrekin Council, we have been judged to be outstanding overall in terms of effectiveness (the only Authority in the West Midlands with this judgement) for the second time! Here’s just some of the great things Ofsted had to say when they visited us in April 2024:

• Children and families in Telford and Wrekin continue to experience exceptional social work practice when they are in care and as care leavers.
• Participation is a real strength and children’s and families’ involvement is threaded throughout service developments.
• Social workers know their children well and have developed effective relationships with parents.
• The virtual school is a significant strength in Telford and Wrekin.
• Care leavers benefit from an extremely comprehensive and generous local offer.
• Corporate parenting is a strength in Telford and Wrekin.
• The stability of the experienced workforce creates the perfect environment to benefit children and care leavers. As a result, social workers maintain relationships with children who know them over many years, which contributes to children’s feeling of belonging.
• Staff enjoy working in an environment where senior leaders are visible, and they feel valued.

There has never been a more exciting time to join our service after the recent publication of our Ofsted Inspection!

If you think you can meet the challenge and would like to find out more about this role, please see our recruitment web pages or contact us by emailing [e-mail] or by calling 01952 384089.

Please click on the links below to view the job description and person specification.

At Telford & Wrekin Council, we know that having a diverse workforce is key to providing the best possible services to our community. We celebrate having a diverse and inclusive culture where people are able to be themselves at work, and everyone has a voice.

Posts working with children or vulnerable groups will be subject to an appropriate criminal records check. It is an offence to apply for a role that involves engaging in regulated activity with children and adults in vulnerable circumstances if you are barred from working with one or both of these groups.

A CV template is available if you do not already have a CV.

We value our employees and offer staff rewards and plenty of opportunities for personal development and career progression including:

• Competitive rates of pay
• Automatic access to a secure, flexible and tax efficient Local Government Pension Scheme
• Staff benefits and discounts including salary sacrifice schemes
• Free on‑site parking
• Generous leave entitlement (24 days rising to 32 days) plus 8 bank holidays and an additional concessionary day
• Free access to our employee assistance programme and confidential counselling
• Flexible and mobile working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home – our approach is to promote greater level of flexible working around personal and family commitments
• Private lettings are available from ‘Nuplace’ who give priority to social work professionals

Find out further information about working at Telford & Wrekin Council including our full list of benefits.

Please note that Telford & Wrekin Council do not hold a sponsorship licence for visas.

Attached documents
JD - Independent Reviewing Officer and Child Protection Conference Chair.docx