Permanent Independent Reviewing Officer - Medway Council in Chatham

Medway Council is looking for an experienced, committed and ambitious Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) to join our Safeguarding and Quality Assurance service on a permanent basis. This is an important role in ensuring that children and young people who are looked after by Medway Council receive the right support, at the right time, and that their needs, wishes and feelings remain at the heart of planning and decision-making.

As an IRO, you will provide independent oversight of children’s care planning and review arrangements, ensuring that plans remain focused on achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people. You will constructively challenge practice where necessary and ensure that professionals and partner agencies remain accountable for delivering agreed actions. You will chair complex review meetings effectively, bringing together children, young people, parents, carers and professionals and ensuring that children’s voices are heard, understood and acted upon. The role will also provide an opportunity to contribute to wider quality assurance, performance management and practice improvement across Children’s Services.

What you will do

• Undertake independent reviews of looked after children in accordance with statutory requirements and guidance.
• Ensure that children and young people are appropriately involved in their care planning and review processes.
• Champion the rights, wishes and feelings of children and young people and ensure their views are given proper consideration.
• Chair Looked After Children reviews and complex case meetings effectively and confidently.
• Ensure that care plans are purposeful, outcome-focused and progressing in a timely way.
• Monitor the implementation of agreed plans and challenge drift, delay or ineffective interventions.
• Provide constructive and independent challenge to social workers, managers, partner agencies and other professionals where practice is not achieving the required outcomes.
• Promote effective multi-agency working across children's social care, education, health and other relevant services.
• Analyse complex information and professional assessments to make sound, evidence-based judgements.
• Identify and escalate concerns relating to safeguarding, care planning, placement stability, permanence and the wellbeing of children and young people.
• Contribute to quality assurance and performance management activity to support consistently high standards of practice.
• Maintain accurate, high-quality records and produce reports suitable for a range of professional and legal settings.
• Work effectively with children and families, ensuring they are appropriately involved in decisions affecting their lives.
• Maintain a high level of professional independence, initiative and accountability.
• Contribute to service development, learning and continuous improvement.

The role requires the post holder to work with a high level of initiative and independence, while liaising with stakeholders both within and outside Medway Council.

Our commitment to children and young people

At Medway, we want our children and young people to experience professionals who:

• Listen to them.
• Are non-judgemental.
• Are consistent and stable.
• Are contactable and reliable.
• Take the time to understand them.
• Are honest and focused.
• Are realistic while remaining ambitious for their future.
• Are resourceful and solution-focused.
• Do what they say they will do.

As an IRO, you will be a strong advocate for children and young people, championing their rights and ensuring their voices influence the decisions made about their lives. You will be expected to be ambitious for young people and to encourage others to share the same drive, ensuring that children's voices are listened to and acted upon.

About you

We are looking for an experienced social work professional who can demonstrate strong professional judgement, confidence in challenging practice and a genuine commitment to achieving positive outcomes for children. You will need:

• A recognised professional Social Work qualification.
• Current registration with Social Work England.
• Significant post-qualifying experience, including the statutory minimum of five years.
• Significant experience within Child Protection and/or Looked After Children services.
• Experience of working with complex children and families.
• Strong knowledge and experience of the care planning and review process for looked after children.
• Significant experience of Family Court proceedings and the pre-proceedings/PLO process.
• Experience of working within the relevant legislative and statutory framework, including the Children Act 1989, Adoption and Children Act 2002 and Children Act 2004.
• Knowledge of national policy and developments within children's social care.
• Demonstrable experience of engaging children and young people in the looked after children process.
• A strong understanding of safeguarding practice, risk and permanence planning.
• Excellent analytical, assessment and decision-making skills.
• The ability to confidently challenge professionals and agencies where necessary.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information and develop effective strategies and solutions.
• The ability to work autonomously while contributing effectively to a wider service.
• Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and electronic children's social care recording systems such as Mosaic or similar.
• A commitment to reflective supervision and continuous professional development.
• A strong understanding of Social Work England's professional standards and a commitment to upholding them.

Your skills and qualities

You will be able to:

• Build positive and productive relationships with children, families, colleagues and partner agencies.
• Communicate complex and sensitive information clearly and appropriately to different audiences.
• Make high-quality decisions in situations involving complexity, risk, uncertainty and challenge.
• Explain and justify professional decisions confidently.
• Work effectively in court and other professional settings.
• Manage competing demands, deadlines and a complex workload.
• Maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Work collaboratively to achieve service objectives.
• Promote equality, diversity and inclusion and treat everyone fairly and with respect.
• Work independently and demonstrate a high level of professional initiative.

The existing role profile specifically highlights the requirement to make sound judgements in complex and uncertain situations, communicate sensitive information effectively, manage workload under pressure and work competently with increasing autonomy.

Why join Medway Council?

This is an opportunity to join a service where your professional independence and expertise can make a genuine difference to children and young people's lives. You will have the opportunity to:

• Work in a role with a clear focus on improving outcomes for looked after children.
• Use your professional experience to provide effective challenge and independent oversight.
• Work alongside experienced social care professionals and partner agencies.
• Contribute to practice improvement and quality assurance.
• Develop your professional expertise through continuous learning and reflective practice.
• Benefit from a hybrid working arrangement, providing flexibility alongside face-to-face work with children and attendance at supervision and team meetings.

The role is assessed as hybrid, with flexibility to work from different locations. There is an expectation of office attendance for supervision and team meetings, while meetings with children are required to be face to face.

Reward package

Salary: £52,921 – £57,554 per annum. In addition to the salary, this role attracts:

• £7,000 Market Supplement
• A £3,000 retention payment will be payable following successful completion of 12 months' service, subject to the applicable terms and conditions.

This provides a potential package of up to £64,554 per annum, excluding the one-off £3,000 retention payment.

Additional requirements

The post requires an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The role requires a full driving licence and daily use of a car for business purposes. You will be expected to maintain professional registration and undertake continuous professional development. You will be expected to demonstrate a commitment to individual and reflective supervision. The role has no direct line-management responsibilities. The post holder will be line managed by the IRO Operational Manager.

Ready to make a difference?

If you are an experienced social worker who is passionate about improving outcomes for children, confident in providing professional challenge and committed to ensuring that children and young people have a meaningful voice in decisions about their lives, we would like to hear from you. Join Medway Council as a Permanent Independent Reviewing Officer and use your experience, independence and professional judgement to help ensure every child receives the care, protection and opportunities they deserve.