Quality Assurance Manager (IRO and CP)

As a Quality Assurance Manager, you will maintain an oversight of the effectiveness of inter‑agency safeguarding arrangements and children in care processes, while evaluating the quality and consistency of service delivery across childcare teams.

You will play a key role in ensuring that children and young people are meaningfully consulted and actively participate in their children in care reviews, conferences and relevant meetings. By providing specialist advice, you will lead on the development and implementation of policies to ensure the delivery of an effective, high‑quality service. This will include interpreting and applying relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice, and may be the primary focus of your role.

Managing and monitoring quality and performance to meet service requirements, you will ensure key performance measures are met and work is delivered on schedule. You will co‑ordinate and present reports, incorporating a clear summary of issues. Budget management for specialist areas forms a key aspect of the role, ensuring resources are appropriately set, effectively monitored and deliver maximum value for the council. Your contribution to commissioning budgets and financial planning may also be required.

We require you to be a qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England (SWE), and have specialist knowledge of child protection processes and care planning for children in care. You will demonstrate specialist, up‑to‑date knowledge of the service area, including relevant legislation, regulations and codes of practice, with particular regard to equality, diversity and current research and policy developments in social care.

Given the elements of this role, you will have a sound understanding of project management, with the ability to identify and overcome barriers to implementation and to support the ongoing development of specialist services. You will have proven experience in child protection work, ensuring statutory timescales are met and practice complies with legal and procedural requirements. Ideally, you will be able to make confident, independent decisions regarding children at risk of harm and children looked after, contribute effectively to the review process and constructively challenge deficiencies in practice or planning to achieve improved outcomes for children and families.

This role sits within an area currently undergoing a period of change due to the government‑led social care reform. As the sector evolves, some elements of the role may naturally develop too – offering opportunities to grow, adapt and be part of meaningful change. We’ll keep you fully informed throughout and make sure you feel supported, valued and confident as the updates arise.

You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so you must have a full, valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have an alternative means of travel. Business insurance will need to be added to your current car insurance policy. Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post.

As part of our benefits package, you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities. We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.

We invest in the careers of our people and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps our people make the greatest long‑term difference in their work. What’s special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the children and young people they work with.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, ensuring all our staff are given the right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.