Independent Reviewing Officer
| Posting date: | 18 June 2024 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Part time |
| Closing date: | 18 July 2024 |
| Location: | Portsmouth, PO1 2AL |
| Company: | Portsmouth City Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 3667 |
Summary
Salary: Band 12, £49,497 to £53,658 per annum full time, pro-rata for part time posts
Two posts are available:
One post is Full Time, 37 hours per week, fixed term contract for up to nine months to cover maternity leave
One post is Part Time, 29.6 hours per week, permanent contract
Please indicate on your cover letter/statement whether you would like to be considered for the fixed term post, permanent post, or both.
Closing date: Sunday 14 July 2024, 23:59
Interview dates: Monday 29 to Wednesday 31 July 2024
Portsmouth City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. It is also committed to promoting quality childcare across the city that works to improve outcomes for children.
DBS Disclosure at Enhanced level will be required prior to any offer of employment and this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Every post is subject to PCC and Portsmouth Safeguarding Children’s Board safer recruitment procedures.
Why come to live and work in Portsmouth?
Portsmouth is a great waterfront city and a vibrant place to live and work. It is an island city with an “inner city” feel, a seaside location packed with attractions and events, and the advantage of fantastic countryside on its doorstep. With fast road and rail links to London, Brighton and major airports, and ferry links to Europe, it is the perfect place to live and work. Portsmouth has a strong history of partnership working and has successfully integrated several local services.
The Service:
The Children & Families Service Quality Team provide support, scrutiny and oversight for our children on Child Protection Plans and the Children we Care for. We are embarking on the next stage of our ambitious and innovative 'Stronger Futures' strategy to transform the way we deliver the best outcomes with local families, by continuing to improve towards 'outstanding' and achieving financial sustainability. Our strategy focuses on achieving excellent early help, excellent family practice and excellent care.
Your New Role:
You will deliver independent oversight and monitoring of children and young people's plans and interventions, to ensure there is high quality, timely and effective multi agency work being undertaken that will address need and achieve positive outcomes. You will provide constructive professional feedback to promote good practice and to ensure that children's care plans are progressed with pace. You will chair review meetings, develop relationships and consult with children, young people, parents and significant others, and have oversight of the care planning process. You will work with other IROs and be involved in business planning and working with other agencies in the city.
Please read the job profile for the full details of this role.
What you'll need to succeed:
You are a registered social worker and have substantial post qualifying experience of statutory child care social work, including some management experience. You have the skills and ability to develop relationships with children and young people and promote their engagement and participation in their meetings. You are experienced in chairing multiagency meetings, and identifying, challenging and escalating issues that hinder the progression of children's plans. You can work closely with all those involved and maintain independence and objectivity, and you can write concise and good quality reports in a timely manner. You are a good communicator, work well alone and as part of a team, have excellent organisation and prioritisation skills, are flexible and have basic IT skills. You have a full driving licence.
Please read the job profile for the full details of this role.
You will need to demonstrate that you have the Right to Work in the UK. No post will be offered without it.
What you'll get in return:
We really appreciate our employees and fully realise they are essential to our success and look to offer an inclusive, supportive working environment where employees can reach their potentials with a healthy work life balance, offering the following rewards:
- Generous annual leave (27 days per year rising to 31, pro rata for part time hours) with the potential to purchase additional leave.
- A fantastic pension which allows you the opportunity to pay in more for that greater return.
- Flexible working options including hybrid working with a minimum of two days office based per week pro rata, giving you the flexibility to work up to three days at home every week. Hybrid working is dependent on the role and service needs, exact details will be discussed with you at interview.
- Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities including apprenticeships.
- Extensive wellbeing support through the Employee Assistance Programme
- Discount on travel, travel loans and the bike loan scheme
- Discounts on a wide range of goods and services – access a range of discounts and offers from thousands of restaurants, shops and more.
Staff rewards: https://careers.portsmouth.gov.uk/working-for-the-council/
Additional Information:
The full job profile is attached here.
Contact Details for an Informal Discussion:
If you have any questions, or would like an informal discussion about the role, please contact Jenny Brennan, Service Leader, Jenny.Brennan@portsmouthcc.gov.uk, 023 92 606 432.
A commitment to our values:
We are committed to our values of respect, integrity, collaboration, inclusivity and being people-focussed. These values set out how we can contribute to the success of the council and our own success as individuals. Learn more about our values and behaviours.
Application process:
We are a disability confident employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible and welcome applications from all areas of society.
Remember to demonstrate in your cover letter/statement why you are suitable against each of the points described in the 'Who is the Person' points on the Job Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Please upload a detailed cover letter/statement as well as your CV.
Please ensure you provide your full education history from secondary school, include name/address of establishment, details of relevant qualifications & awarding body. Please explain any gaps - this is essential for all safeguarding children's roles.
You may wish to attach an additional letter or document to supplement your application.
We will email applicants from time to time; please ensure you check e-mail folders as sometimes our e-mails may go into spam/junk folders.
We look forward to speaking with you soon.
Should you require any support in completing the application form please contact recruit@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.