Full Job Description
Your new role
Southend City Council are looking to appoint a
22hrs per week, permanent Independent Reviewing Officer to join the
Safeguarding and Reviews Service. The successful candidates will be
joining a service committed to ensuring plans for children in our care
are progressed without delay and lead to improved outcomes for
children.
As the newly appointed IRO, you will be required to
chair child protection conferences in line with SET Child Protection
Procedures and Working Together to Safeguard Children. You will review
the cases of children who are looked after and take all necessary
decisions to confirm the child’s care plan.
You will monitor
progress of plans for children between CLA Reviews and Child
Protection Conferences to ensure their needs are being met.
By
joining Southend, you will be joining a service that Ofsted reported
in 2023 as 'Social workers who were spoken to during this visit were
positive about working for Southend and reported feeling safe and
‘belonging’. Social workers reported that management is thoughtful,
considers successes and celebrates good practice...the senior
leadership team are visible and social workers can discuss issues
affecting their work with children.
There is a requirement that
you are able to work Wednesdays, the other 2 days are
flexible.
Within this position, there will be working from home
opportunities every two weeks for administration duties, meetings will
be onsite and in person.
What you'll need to succeed
To
be successful in this position you must be able to work in the UK,
have a recognised Social Work qualification and be registered with the
Social Work England.
You are required to have statutory local
authority children's services experience along with experience of
improving outcomes for children who are being harmed, including
children who experience domestic abuse and chronic neglect.
You
will need to have the ability to engage in a restorative manner with
parents, carers and children in order for them to know they are
central to all aspects of planning. As well as having the ability to
share expertise in the field of child protection with social workers,
social work managers and partner agencies.
You will have strong
communication skills, both verbally and written, and have the ability
to organise and manage a varied workload