Children's Independent Reviewing Officer

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Children's Services are looking to recruit Independent Reviewing Officers/Child Protection Chairs who will help make a difference in the lives of the children and young people we work with. We are currently on an improvement journey and have a clear vision of where we want to be, and what we want to achieve for the children in our area. Children are at the heart of everything we do and our relationship-based practice helps us to make positive and lasting changes in their lives and the lives of their families.

If you would like to become part of a team who work collaboratively with children and young people to help shape our service and influence practice, this team is for you. We are looking for experienced IROs/Child Protection Chairs who strive to make sure that the voice of the child is central in all work undertaken, as well as ensuring safe, timely and individual needs led plans are in place for children.

The role involves providing scrutiny, support and challenge to the work of social work teams and making sure that care and protection plans are progressed in a timescale that meets the child's needs. You will need to have good communication skills and be able to engage productively with families and other professionals, as well as being able to robustly manage and chair case conferences, and child in care meetings. This IRO post will hold a mixed case load of child protection and child in care work.

You will be part of a team that is dedicated and committed to achieving good outcomes for children and providing an inclusive service. Our management team provide a robust induction that enables new staff to become familiar with BCP systems, policies and procedures before cases are allocated. Case allocations are done on a gradual basis and a staff/Team Manager review will take place on a weekly basis during the induction period to review progress and learning. Staff development, wellbeing and work life balance is also a key focus for the management team who provide a supportive, nurturing and learning environment.

We are looking for experienced Child Protection Chairs/IROs who have substantial experience in working within the child protection and child in care arena. You will need to be confident in chairing meetings and working with partner agencies. Most of all, you will need to be aspirational for all of the children and young people you work with.

All applicants need to be social work qualified and registered with Social Work England. Successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

BCP Council provides services to a diverse community of 400,000 residents and employs more than 5,000 people. Our area includes over 15 miles of beautiful world-renowned coastline. We can offer career defining roles to transform and improve services. By working with us, you can help deliver a vision of a thriving, word-class, prosperous and inclusive place for generations to come., Children's social care

Could you play a part in delivering an outstanding service that improves the lives of the children in our community? If so, BCP Children's Services is looking for you.

To transform and improve our services we are looking for committed and resilient social care professionals who will be fully supported to become the best practitioner that they can whilst developing a meaningful career. We are looking for colleagues to join us who think big, enjoy a challenge and can bring fresh ideas to our services in order to help enhance the lives of our local children in childhood and beyond.

We want the best possible outcomes for children and young people across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Our children's services teams aim to create the right environment for social work to flourish and for our children and young people to achieve their goals and ambitions.

If you're dedicated to making a real difference, have the skills, experience and commitment and if you want to be part of a team where your efforts and contributions will be noticed, we want to hear from you.

We offer an excellent benefits package for further details see here

As a result of the creation of BCP Council in 2019, we are working on simplifying our terms and conditions of service and will be creating a single pay structure which is to be applicable for all employees. It is important to us that we offer benefits that our colleagues value as part of their total employment package and we are reviewing these to make sure we have it right. We are in the process of establishing a timescale for implementation and colleagues joining us will be included in these changes. Expected to be in place 2024.