Be an independent champion for Looked After children and young people

In Kensington and Chelsea and our neighbouring borough of Westminster, we look after a diverse population, which includes people living in some of the nation’s most affluent and most deprived wards. We have high aspirations for all our children and young people and have shaped our social work services to deliver the best for them. 

Independent Reviewing Officers (IROs) play a vital role in our planning for Looked After Children. Our IROs are skilled scrutineers who play a key role in quality assurance and service improvements, which they deliver through oversight of care plans and providing scrutiny with an emphasis on raising challenge to prevent drift and delay. As a service, we recognise the importance of having an operational and strategic lens on practice through representation at designated panels, forums and planning groups. The IRO role is highly valued as part of the decision-making process.

The Role:

In the role as an IRO, you can truly influence for the better the lives of our Looked After Children. Working with a manageable caseload, which has remained consistently within the national expectations and in accordance with the IRO Handbook.  You will have the lead role in chairing statutory Looked After Child review meetings. The predominant aspect of the role will be chairing reviews for looked after children, however, there may be opportunities to chair child protection conferences.  You will maintain oversight of the Local Authorities care plans, ensuring they meet the needs of the child/young people.  You will take up the voice of the child and ensure that it is heard and that all plans and decisions for the child are informed by her/his wishes and feelings.  You are to champion the child’s best interests, even in circumstances where you may be a single voice.  A key role is one of challenge and escalation, you will use your expertise in safeguarding and best practice to monitor performance.

As apart of your quality assurance role you will shine a lens on practice and contribute to our continuous improvement programme through the auditing framework.  You will have a lead role in providing advice and consultation to managers and Social Workers and raising challenge as necessary. Above all, you’ll ensure the voices of children, parents and carers are heard and give them greater agency in the decisions that affect their lives. You’ll have support from the Service Manager and other members of this collaborative bi-borough team.

Within the role you will contribute to the Local Authorities Designated Officer (LADO) duty service. Within this you will be able to develop a sound safeguarding approach to your work, and continuously learn anew.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information

About You:

This role would suit a seasoned social work professional with strong leadership skills and an in-depth understanding of best practice. Compassionate and collaborative, you’ll be a skilled listener and an experienced negotiator, able to communicate effectively with everyone from birth parents to education professionals. Qualified and registered, you’ll have in-depth experience of working in a similar setting with looked after children and a thorough understanding of safeguarding issues. You’ll also be well-organised with good time-keeping skills. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to utilise and expand upon their established social work skills base and safeguarding experience.  

In return, you can look forward to a package that includes a competitive salary, a high-quality pension scheme and generous annual leave plus bank holidays. This is a lively, close-knit team, which meets and socialises across the two boroughs.

To apply please click the Apply Now link below.