Independent Reviewing Officer - Children Social Care

About the Borough :
In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ.

Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment.

All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We've set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There's also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23.

About the Service and Team :
The London Borough of Sutton "is uncompromising in its focus on improving quality of frontline social work" - Ofsted

London Borough of Sutton works closely with Kingston University and regional partners as part of the Developing Together Social Work Teaching Partnership (SWTP). The partnership offers staff a wide range of pre and post qualifying education opportunities to promote continuous learning and development. This includes staff being encouraged to support the practice education of Social Work students and those in the assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE). Staff are also given the opportunity to attend conferences, workshops and have access to research and practice resources to support their ongoing professional development.

Children's Social Care is going through an important change to meet the growing needs of the children and families we support. We are making many improvements to ensure that care for children is better and to create positive working environments for our staff. With committed leaders and experienced managers, we are bringing fresh ideas to our work and are helping to make real improvements in how we support children and families. Our aim is to provide high-quality care that helps children thrive while also creating an inclusive, diverse, and supportive environment for our staff to develop their careers.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate :
Join Children Social Care as an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) and enjoy a Golden Hello along with a Recruitment and Retention Bonus, outlined as follows:

• £1,000 paid with your first month's salary
• £1,000 for your first completed year of service
• £2,000 for your second completed year of service
• £3,000 for your third completed year of service and each year thereafter

With a total salary package of up to £62,620 (subject to pay scale), inclusive of bonuses and benefits, this is an excellent opportunity to elevate your career in social care.

• Are you passionate about advocating for children's rights and welfare?
• Do you have experience in child protection and want to help shape positive outcomes for young people?
• Do you want to be part of a dedicated team that prioritizes the well-being of children in our community?

Reporting to the Safeguarding Service Manager, your responsibilities as an Independent Reviewing Officer will include:

• Chairing statutory Looked After Children (LAC) reviews, ensuring that care plans are robust, effective, and child-focused.
• Advocating for the best interests of the child, ensuring their voice is heard and acted upon in all aspects of their care.
• Monitoring the progress of care plans and ensure compliance with statutory requirements and best practice guidelines.
• Working closely with social workers, foster carers, legal representatives, and other professionals to ensure coordinated and effective care planning- (High support)
• Providing independent oversight and scrutiny of social work practice, promoting high standards of care and welfare
• Maintaining detailed and accurate records of all review meetings, decisions, and recommendations.
• Contributing to service improvement and development by providing training, identifying trends, highlighting good practice, and recommending changes where necessary.

For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation, view the Role Profile or contact Karen Walls, Safeguarding Manager on karen.walls@sutton.gov.uk or Denise Walford, Senior CP Chair on denise.walford@sutton.gov.uk

This role is a great opportunity for:

• Experienced social workers: Qualified social workers with a strong background in child protection reviewing social care practice, gained at Team Manager level. If you are passionate about growing your career, this role is an opportunity that focuses on chairing and facilitating critical discussions that impact children's lives.
• Current and Former Independent Reviewing Officers : Individuals who have significant experience in child welfare, social work, or safeguarding roles, with a proven track record of chairing multi-agency meetings, especially within a children's services framework and local authority setting.

We would expect the suitable candidates to fulfil the following competencies:

• Be a qualified Social Worker with a relevant professional qualification in Social Work and registered with Social Worker England
• Significant experience in child protection or safeguarding with strong understanding of child protection legislation, local authority processes, and multi-agency collaboration.
• Knowledge and experience of effectively chairing statutory meetings within children's services.
• Strong knowledge of The Children Act 1989, 2004, IRO Handbook (2010), and other relevant legislation and statutory guidance.
• Experience of managing performance, setting and monitoring standards and challenging poor practice
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage with families in a sensitive manner and make sound decisions in complex and challenging situations
• Ability to challenge poor practice constructively and escalate concerns effectively.

If you are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people and possess the skills and experience required for the role, we encourage you to apply! Join our dedicated team and take on a rewarding challenge that allows you to advocate for children, collaborate with diverse professionals, and contribute to meaningful outcomes.

Our Offer to You :
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)
• General Council Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only)
• Public Health Service Localised Flexi-time Scheme - accrual of up to 5 days per year
• Three volunteering days per year in Sutton
• Comprehensive learning and development programme
• Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Car parking scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses
• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support
• Subsidised gym membership

Application Process :
Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.

To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Additional Information :
We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.