Are you passionate about delivering excellent services to Children and Young People and want to be part of a forward-thinking organisation? We are looking to recruit friendly, dynamic and enthusiastic individuals to join our Independent Safeguarding and Reviewing Service as an Independent Reviewing Officer/Child Protection Chair.
This is an incredibly exciting time to be joining Devon County Council’s Children’s Services, as we embark on a journey of improvement, innovation, and positive change.
We are committed to working with children, young people, and their families/carers in an embedded and truly restorative way. We aim to promote health, well-being, and positive sustained outcomes for all, while focusing on protecting children and young people from harm.
About You
You will be an excellent, experienced, and confident qualified social work practitioner, with previous management or quality assurance experience. You will be organised and have good communication skills. You will want to join a team of like-minded practitioners who are working together to improve outcomes for children and young people and service provision. You will have supervised social workers, understand the demands of operational teams and the importance of positively impacting practice through support and challenge. You need to be able to evidence a sound knowledge of local and national policies and procedures and keep up to date with research and good practice.
Primary Purpose of role
As a Child Protection Officer, you will be chairing child protection case conferences; ensuring correct thresholds and that the plans address risk, and quality assuring practice.
As an Independent Review Officer, you will be fulfilling statutory duties towards looked after children as defined in the IRO handbook.
You will need to ensure that you have a good understanding of the IRO Handbook and Working Together to ensure that the Statutory requirements for both Safeguarding and children who are cared for by Devon County Council are adhered to.
About Us
We continue to embed trauma informed, relationship-based practice with focus on a strengths-based approach, working with key partners across the county within our work with families. Our work is informed by our restorative framework to ensure that we support children and their families.
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What we can offer you
In recognition of the vital contribution you make, we offer an attractive package of benefits including:
1. 26 days annual leave per year (rising with length of service) plus Bank Holidays.
2. Generous relocation allowance.
3. Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme - more information can be found on the Peninsula Pensions website.
4. Ongoing learning and development opportunities through our Social Work Academy with dedicated support from our Restorative Practice Leads, as well as Research in Practice membership and full access to Devon Children and Families Safeguarding training programme.
5. Dedicated support with regular supervision from line management so you can critically reflect on your practice on a regular basis. Group supervisions are also offered, allowing you to learn from your colleagues and grow the strength of your social work practice together.
6. Access to our confidential Employee Assistance Programme available 24/7 to support you with personal and work life.
7. Flexible working opportunities, including homeworking (subject to the needs of the role).
8. Discounts at over 900 national and local high street retailers through our benefits platform.
9. Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice scheme.
10. Cycle to Work scheme.
11. Access to free on-site parking.
12. From February 2024 ability to purchase additional annual leave
For informal discussion please contact Catherine Marren on 07977330949/or Andrea Powell on 01392 386238/
Applications close on 24/11/24 and shortlisted applicants will be contacted to arrange interview dates promptly.
Internal Applicants, please note: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.
13. DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. More information can be found on our .
14. -The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work hybrid working, part-time, condensed hours etc.
15. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
16. This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.
17. Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with the .
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