Independent Reviewing Officer (ref: 2024_1037)
County Hall, Newport and Agile (Working From Home)
Grade 13, £46,772.00 to £50,251.00 per annum
Contact: For further information or an informal discussion please contact fiona.bellamy@iow.gov.uk or by calling on 01983 821000.
Vacancy Reference: 2024_1037
Closing Date: 06/09/2024
Contract type: Fixed Term (12 Months)
Hours: 37 per week
"Independent Reviewing Officers are committed to making a positive change. Each year, they help millions of people to improve their chances in life.” - Social Work England’s Chief Executive, Colum Conway
On the Isle of Wight, our new Children’s Service leadership team understands that our Independent Reviewing Officers, managers, social workers, and our staff require the right environment to succeed in this challenging, rewarding, and important field.
Our vision is ‘creating change together’, which drives our values and behaviours to create change - in partnership with our children and families, our dedicated Children’s Service staff, our partners, and community services, to improve the lives of children on the Isle of Wight.
We value and respect the work you do and ensure our social work teams are given the right tools, conditions, support, and guidance needed to make real change happen.
You will benefit from:
* Help with admin, diary management, visits, and recording.
* Five extra days to take during the year for professional development; to support your career progression and ongoing learning.
* Our nine-day working fortnight, providing an additional 26 days’ time off in lieu a year.
This is a unique and exciting time to join our management team. Following the successful completion of our 10-year partnership with Hampshire County Council on the 31st of January 2024, we have welcomed a brand-new senior leadership team with the determination and skill to build our new Children's Service.
Together they are already working to create one connected directorate, where Children’s Social Care and our Education, Inclusion and Access services, including special educational needs and disability services are 100% focused on improving the lives of children and families on the Isle of Wight.
We are seeking a dedicated, skilled, and experienced Independent Reviewing Officer who shares our vision to get things right for children, at the right time, in the right place, with the right support and intervention.
We will look to you to ensure child protection and care planning is effective and timely and the voice of the child is heard throughout. As part of our commitment to transforming Social Work and relationship-based practice, you will work in the Isle of Wight strengths-based approach to ensure children and families contribute to plans and decisions that affect their lives.
You will ensure plans are SMART, monitor their progress to ensure children receive the right support at the right time and provide quality assurance to the children and the service.
You will have excellent chairing skills with the ability to manage complex dynamics sensitively and with a consistent focus on the child. Your skills and abilities will enable you to work with families, carers, professionals and as part of a multi-agency team whilst having the confidence and knowledge to appropriately challenge.
As an IRO, you will carry out statutory reviews for children in care and chair Child Protection Conferences. You will need to have good knowledge of Care Planning and Reviewing regulations and the IRO Handbook as well as a good understanding of current safeguarding legislation and guidance.
You must be a Social Work England registered Social Worker with at least 5 years post qualifying experience with significant experience in safeguarding and work with looked after children.
Do you...
* Want to progress your social work career into management?
* Want a new challenge?
* Want to work in a dynamic environment?
* Want to focus on improvement and continual learning?
* Share our vision and ambition to get things right for children?
* Share our aim to intervene at the right time, in the right place and with the right support?
If the answer is yes, we would love to hear from you!
Our practice model is:
* relational
* strengths based
* solution focused
* restorative
We embody this model in all our relationships. We embrace an inclusive culture and will support you in your role and challenge you to be your best.
For further information or an informal discussion please contact fiona.bellamy@iow.gov.uk or by calling on 01983 821000.
When you join #TeamIWC you'll receive our staff benefits package, including:
* Annual leave entitlement of 32 days p/a PLUS public holidays!
* Local Government pension scheme
* Discounted Solent ferry travel
* Island bus network discount
* Cycle to work scheme
* Staff parking permit scheme
* Discounted island sports & leisure gym membership
* National and local discounts & benefits schemes
Relocation: For some vacancies (subject to criteria) a relocation scheme of up to £8,000 may be available if you are specifically relocating to the Isle of Wight to work with us, or if you choose to commute to the Isle of Wight daily, you may be eligible to have some travel costs reimbursed.
The Isle of Wight Council currently does not have a license to sponsor overseas workers.
Find out more about working for the Isle of Wight Council and living on the Island here.
The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination and this is supported by the Unacceptable Behaviour Policy, Employee Code of Conduct and Behaviours Framework. We actively promote the diversity of our workforce and we provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees.
The Isle of Wight Council is an equal opportunities employer. We are proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community. We are also a Disability Confident Employer. Along with a number of commitments, this means, providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.
The management reporting line for this role is ultimately through the Isle of Wight Council Children’s Services directorate.
This council and its schools recruit according to the council’s Recruitment, Policy and Procedure and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.
If you have difficulty completing your online application or need further information about how to apply, phone 01983 823134 or email callcentre@iow.gov.uk. Please note: Only applications completed and submitted online by the closing date will be accepted.
We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. We actively encourage you to revisit our job page and apply to alternate posts that may be suitable.
Closing Date: 6th September 2024
Interview Date: 10th September 2024
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