Service Manager - Independent Reviewing Officers

London Borough of Bexley; Bexleyheath; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Coaching & mentoring

Excellent pension

Generous leave

Job summary

London Borough of Bexley is seeking a Service Manager for the Independent Reviewing Service to lead a team of professionals supporting children in care and look after arrangements.

The post requires extensive social work experience, senior management skills, and a commitment to safeguarding. The successful candidate will oversee advocacy, develop quality plans, and drive practice standards while ensuring effective partnership working and learning from lived experience.

Qualifications

• Registered social work practitioner/manager with extensive post-qualifying experience in safeguarding/children looked after services.
• Experience in overseeing advocacy for children and ensuring quality plans and support in care arrangements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Independent Reviewing Service and foster effective advocacy for children in care.
• Oversee practice standards and ensure high-quality plans for children in care.
• Develop and improve service delivery through training, evaluation and partnerships.
• Support senior-level learning from lived experience of children and carers.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Child safeguarding

Advocacy

Policy development

Education

Registered Social Worker (RSW)

Social Work Manager qualification

Job description

About The Role

Service Manager: Independent Reviewing Service

(Responsible for Fostering Independent Reviewing Officers and Independent Reviewing Officers for children in our care).

An exciting opportunity has arisen for the role of Service Manager within the Independent Reviewing Service.

This is a full time permanent position and which requires an experienced manager/practitioner ready for their next challenge.

We invite applications from experienced team level managers or equivalent and with proven past experience of working with children in our care. You may also have experience of managing advocacy in other settings, but crucially understand the importance ofadvocacy for children living away from their families, including children living in foster care/residential settings. You are interested in learning from the lived experience of children and carers and can demonstrate experience of how you have supported learning. practice, training and service development.You will have strong leadership skills and experience of overseeing practice standards. You will be responsible for ensuring advocacy on behalf of children, and ensuring there is good quality plans and support in place for any child in our care.

Bexley is looking for an innovative individual who can help to further develop the service and ensure all children have the best possible experience while living in alternative arrangements whether for a brief period and or long term. You will have strong quality assurance skills and a proven track record of managing a team, and overseeing practice standards.

We welcome applications from people with expereince of partnership working, and a passionate interest in ensuring children in our care and those preparing for independence are given the best possible chances to achieve and reach their full potential.

The successdul candidate can expect a good induction, ongoing supervision, peer support and ongoing training.

Please refer to the Job Description attached for more information.

[Please note that the successful candidate will be required to be office based at least 3 days a week.]

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Amanda Gillard, Head of Professional Standards. Email: [e-mail]

Candidate Profile

Registered Qualified Social Work Practitioner/Manager with extensive post qualitfying experience within a safeguarding setting and or children looked after service.

For the full list of essential and desirable criteria for this role then please refer to the Person Specification within the Job Description attached.

Please upload your personal statement under the Relevant Experience and Skills section and ensure this fully aligns to the role criteria. This should not be more than two sides of A4.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)

Interviews are scheduled to be held on the week beginning the 12th of November 2026.

About Us

Bexley is a vibrant and diverse outer London Borough nestled in the Thames Gateway between London and Kent which means it combines the perfect blend of city vibe and the tranquillity of Kent. It's got award-winning parks, open spaces, and heritage sites. The borough has excellent transport connections, including the Elizabeth Line and proximity to the M25. Bexley offers fantastic amenities such as libraries, leisure centres, and shopping areas. Our borough is also home to numerous primary and secondary schools, as well as further education institutions.

Our Offer to you

We will offer you in return a package that includes:

• competitive salary
• coaching and mentoring programmes
• an excellent pension scheme
• generous annual leave plus bank holidays

For more information on the benefits package on offer please refer to the Candidate Information document attached.

Recruitment Information

As a disability confident employer Bexley welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including hidden disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on [e-mail]

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This role may be available as a development opportunity through secondment for the Council’s existing employees. The Council’s Secondment Scheme can be found here. If this option is of interest, please contact the recruiting manager.

We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date.