Job info	Job info details
Job title	Independent Reviewing Officer for Child in Need
Strategic team/Directorate	Children's Services
Service	Early Help
Business unit	Early Help
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Early Help Service Manager
Accountable to (line manager)	Early Help Service Manager
Salary grade	K
JE ref	CSERV010

1. Key purpose of job

• To ensure children and their family’s needs are met throughout their step-down journey from statutory services to early help. 
• To ensure there is no drift and delay throughout the step-down process and high quality, timely interventions are delivered. 
• To ensure multi-agency partners and lead professionals are engaged in the step-down process to achieve the best outcomes for children and their families. 

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

• Plans clearly identify the outcomes sought and actions being taken to ensure successful and sustainable step down to early help. 
• Multi agencies work effectively to reduce re-referrals and number of children subject to statutory services. 
• Children and young people’s needs are met, and improved sustainable outcomes are achieved through targeted and universal service. 

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

• As an Employee of Torbay Council all roles are expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures. The Designated Senior Lead for Safeguarding is the Chief Executive and Director of Children’s Services.
• Responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children at all times.
• To undertake reviews of children subject to child in need plan to monitor the quality of planning, interventions and completion of all actions and the subsequent outcomes for the child and family.
• Provide independent oversight and specialist advice to social workers, advanced social workers, team managers and multi-agency partners to enable successful and sustainable step down to early help and monitor outcomes.
• To carry out a quality assurance function through the challenge of poor practice and work with managers to overcome service deficits in delivering the right services to children subject to a child in need plan.
• To work alongside managers and staff to ensure effective integration of all planning processes in relation to individual children and young people subject to child in need or stepping down from child protection.
• To provide, maintain and disseminate information to other staff concerning up to date research, evidence, and practice in promoting good outcomes for children and young people subject to child in need. 
• To ensure that children and parents subject to child in need are consulted about their plan including the development of SMART actions and hold social workers to account where this has not occurred.
• To contribute to development of services, policies, and procedures in relation to children subject to child in need.
• Maintaining an up-to-date knowledge base, which includes statutory and early help requirements, policy and practice trends. 
• Facilitate the step-down process and development of a smooth and time limited process. 
• The post holder will make autonomous decisions about when and how tasks are carried out and provide advice/recommendations to Social Workers, advanced social workers, team managers and multi-agency partners on how best to resolve a complex or contentious situation for a child and their family.
• Have autonomy to be creative when providing advice and guidance to Social Workers to ensure plans meet the needs for our children and in overcoming barriers in gaining the right support and interventions within the Council and the Partnership including health, police and education providers.
• To problem solve to overcome blockers and barriers to gaining the right services for children over come resistance from families, drawing on their own significant experience and knowledge.
• Support others to gain knowledge and be able to apply their own learning into practice, including working alongside practitioners to problem solve on their work with children and families when plans become stuck or there is drift and delay.
• Manage the constant change and demand for support, advice, guidance, and problem solving to meet the needs for children and their families. Including conflicting priorities in supporting complex and contentious situations.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

• None. 

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

• Model excellent professional practice and standards.

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

• Normal working conditions. 

7. Physical demands of the post

• Normal physical demands. 

8. Specific resources used by the post

• None. 

9. Key contacts and relationships

External:

• All agencies working with child and their families subject to child in need procedures, e.g., Health, Police, Education, Connexions, Probation, Children’s Services, Adults Services etc.

Internal:

• All professionals working with children in need and their families, e.g., Social Workers, Managers, Personal Advisors, Community Care Workers, Family Centres, Children’s Disability Team, foster carers etc.

10. Other duties

• To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job. 

Other Information

• All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
• The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy, and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement. 
• The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
• The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
• This post holder is eligible for hybrid working.
• The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
• If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.
• As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Disclosure & Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
• Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
• The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Independent Reviewing Officer for Child in Need
Strategic team/Directorate	Children's Services
Service	Early Help
Business unit	Early Help

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

• Significant post qualifying experience of working with children in need.
• The capacity to relate to children, young people, their parents, carers and care staff and professional staff at all levels.
• Direct work with children and young people.
• Ability to challenge poor practice effectively.
• The ability to effectively chair complex meetings and to manage contributions by all participants ensuring clear outcomes.
• Problem solving and analytical abilities.
• Self-motivation, personal confidence, leadership and negotiation skills.
• The ability to make independent judgements that take into account the views of others but are not unduly influenced by these.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines. 

Desirable skills and effectiveness

• Ability to lead project or development work.
• Experience of development of policies and/or procedures. 

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

• An understanding of child development and the effects of trauma, significant harm, loss and separation on children.
• An understanding of all relevant Child Care legislation and statutory guidance.
• An understanding of the national minimum standards for regulated provisions (adoption, fostering, residential care).
• IT literate. 
• Ability to demonstrate independence from LA case management. 

Desirable knowledge

• Human Rights legislation, Freedom of Information Act, Education Act 2002, Licensing act 2003.
• Southwest Peninsula Child Protection Procedures. 

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

• Significant post qualifying experience. 
• Supervision and management of social work staff.
• Experience of effectively chairing complex multi-agency meetings. 
• Experience of legal proceedings and adoption. 
• Proven understanding of Child Protection Practice. 
• Commitment to anti-discriminatory Practice. 
• Ability to demonstrate a child centred commitment to valuing diversity and respect for others language, religion and culture.
• Proven ability to write reports and contribute to policy development.

Desirable experience and achievements

N/A

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

• Social Work Degree as recognised by Social Work England. 
• Registration as a Social Worker with Social Work England. 
• Evidence of relevant professional development. 

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

N/A

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

• Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. 
• Ability to carry out the physical requirements of the role (i.e., manual handling). 
• Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/Southwest/UK in order to carry out duties. 
• Ability to accommodate unsociable hours. 
• Ability to accommodate occasional homeworking. 
• Have demonstrable experience of working to complete objectives/targets through independent working and problem-solving skills. 
• Make effective use of time management and prioritisation skills. 
• Ability to work unsupervised at times.