Independent Reviewing Officer/IRO #RQ473217

Job Description

ROLE & PURPOSE OF JOB:

The Independent Conference and Reviewing Officer’s role is a statutory one. Responsibility to review, monitor and quality assure services provided to children and young people by the local authority and partner agencies.

Responsibility is to ensure that services:

– meet the child’s needs, promote their welfare and effectively safeguard them

– involve children, young people and families actively in decision making

– comply with statutory guidance and council policy

– comply with Hull Safeguarding Children’s board’s procedures and policies

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES: Please identify the level of accountability.

Strategy – Contributes to the overarching strategy of Hull Children’s Social Care to ensure that the wider service actively plans for the safety, permanence and stability of children and young people regardless of the setting in which they live including actively safeguarding and supporting children so that they can live with their families.

Participate and contribute to the development of policy, procedure and guidance across the authority through participation in focus groups and are responsible for the identification and progressions of thematic service issues such as drift and delay, ensuring that these issues are brought to the attention of senior management.

Customer Focus – Works in partnership with colleagues, other agencies, parents and carers to ensure that children, young people and families benefit from good quality assessments, plans and appropriate support.

Responsible for enabling children, young people, parents’ and carers’ voices to be heard within planning and decision making by ensuring that they are consulted and listened to in all aspects of work. This is strengthened by building effective relationships with advocacy services and Young Voices In Care.

Shared responsibility for safeguarding children / young people who are the subjects of meetings chaired by the ICRO. Responsibility for the health and safety of persons attending these meetings.

Responsible for monitoring services to children and families in order to assist the department in the constant improvement of these services.

The team review the cases of LAC and children who are the subjects of CP plans.

Performance Management – Responsible for providing appropriate challenge to colleagues and partners to ensure that children and young people’s needs are met in a timely manner, notably for looked after children, care leavers and those subject to child protection processes.

Challenge is progressed for looked after children via the pre dispute and dispute resolution processes. This is a formal record of actions and accountabilities placed on the child's electronic file.

Within safeguarding are responsible for reporting to HSCB and other management and partner agencies via an escalation process. Are an integral part of the development and improvement of services, policies and procedures so that these ensure that the interests of children are met.

Develop and complete audits and other quality assurance tools to evaluate services and quality of practice, providing performance data to the city manager to raise standards and improve services.

Leadership – Responsible for providing challenge and influencing good quality social work practice within the pods and teams. Have considerable contact with social work colleagues across the authority and have indirect responsibility for the quality of practice through case oversight.

Responsibility to escalate actions to senior management and to other statutory bodies (e.g. implementing referrals to Cafcass and notifications to Ofsted).

Through effective chairing of meetings provide a positive social work role model and promotes best practice to safeguard the welfare of children and young people.

Contribute directly to staff development through development and delivery of training to social workers and partner agencies.

Act as practice teachers for DipSW students

Responsible for using his / her own expertise and knowledge to autonomously determine the most appropriate course of action in a given case.

Responsibility for leading on the multi agency decision making process regarding whether a child should be the subject of a child protection plan within the legislative framework of child protection guidelines and procedures.

Statutory Obligations –

In accordance with the IRO Handbook (statutory guidance for local authorities), Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 and all supplementary guidance (DfE). Statutory duties;

• Responsibility for chairing all looked after reviews

• Responsibility for monitoring the performance by the local authority of their functions in relation to the child’s case.

• Responsibility for ensuring that any ascertained wishes and feelings of the child concerning the case are given due consideration by the appropriate authority

• Responsibility for performing any other function prescribed in regulations

In addition is responsible for ensuring that plans for looked after children are based on detailed and informed assessments and are up to date and effective. Is responsible for ensuring that children understand their rights to advocacy. Are responsible for preventing “drift” in care planning for looked after children and in the delivery of services to them.

Statutory responsibility for resolving abuses of children's rights by negotiation to the highest level of the council i.e. the Chief Executive and where these cannot be resolved internally utilises their statutory power to refer the child's case to Cafcass.

In accordance with Working Together to Safeguard Children and other relevant guidance (DfE) the ICROs undertake the following duties

Responsibility for chairing multi agency Child Protection Conferences.

Responsibility for chairing complex multi agency strategy meetings

Responsibility for chairing and / or participating in Secure Accommodation Reviews which determine whether specific children meet the criteria to remain in Secure Accommodation.

Supervision

Provides professional advice and guidance to assist and support other council staff and those in partner agencies to deal with complex child safeguarding matters and to achieve best practice. Undertakes mentoring and practice development with new social work staff and students when requested.

Training and Development

In collaboration with the HSCB and council training staff and Professional Practice Officers contributes to the develop and delivery of safeguarding training which results in safer practice for children and young people.

Advocacy

Supports and advises children and families to enable them to access timely and relevant advocacy services, utilise complaints procedures, legal advice or otherwise enable their human rights and entitlements to be met. Ensures that practice with children and families is non-discriminatory and meets their diverse needs (e.g. ethnic, religious and cultural needs ).

Recording

Is responsible for maintaining up to date, accurate and quality data on the children's social care data base (currently Carefirst) and any other recording systems utilised in the role. Through the monitoring of children's plans, ensure that other staff comply with the requirement to record and maintain quality information and bring any omissions to do so to the attention of relevant managers.

Quality Assurance / Service Delivery.

Contributes to ensuring that value for money is obtained when services are purchased for children and that council resources are used efficiently and effectively to meet children's needs.

Utlising expertise, knowledge and judgement, determines if complaints should be upheld or not and makes recommendations on individual cases and for service wide corrective actions to improve services.

You must have:

• A professional qualification in Social Work and experience of working with Children
• Social Work England registration or Social Care Wales registration for North Wales.
• Post qualified experience.
• Enhanced DBS/Update service.
• References required for the last 5 years of employment.

What's on offer for the Social Worker?

• Excellent competitive pay rate
• Excellent management structure with experienced leaders
• Desirable location with excellent transport links
• A stable and well-supported working environment

Benefits of working with Semester.co.uk:

• Free on-going training opportunities upon registering as part of our commitment to you.
• Competitive Rates of pay
• In house payroll, providing weekly payments and support
• Enhanced DBS completed.
• Support and expert advice from an approachable, dedicated and friendly team
• An assigned dedicated & experienced consultant
• Various employment opportunities in your preferred geographical area
• Flexible hours to meet your needs, full or part time
• Recommend a friend bonus scheme
• “Find your own job” bonus – get £250 for bringing your own position to us *

If you would like to find out more information about this role, or other opportunities please visit www.jobs.Semester.co.uk to apply or feel free to click the 'Apply' button below or contact the team on 0161 4199285*

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