Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)

Families First Partnership Programme | Children in Care

We are recruiting an experienced Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) to join a forward-thinking children's services team and play a key role in improving outcomes for looked-after children and young people.

The Role

As an Independent Reviewing Officer, you will provide robust independent oversight and scrutiny of children's care plans, ensuring the Local Authority and multi-agency partners fulfil their statutory responsibilities and that children receive the right support to thrive.

You will:

• Conduct Looked After Child (LAC) reviews in accordance with statutory requirements.

• Independently scrutinise and review children's care plans and progress.

• Ensure children and young people's wishes, feelings and voices are heard, listened to and reflected in their plans.

• Challenge drift, delay and poor practice where necessary.

• Ensure the Local Authority and partner agencies are meeting children's needs and achieving agreed outcomes.

• Promote trauma-informed, systemic and relational approaches across children's services.

• Work proactively with social workers, families and multi-agency partners.

• Promote safe and appropriate family reunification where this is in the child's best interests.

• Monitor whether children are safe, nurtured and making progress.

• Ensure statutory timescales, legislation and guidance are adhered to.

• Identify and escalate concerns where a child's care plan is not progressing appropriately.

• Advocate for children and ensure their rights and welfare remain central to decision-making.

• Support a culture of prevention, partnership and whole-family working.

Key Responsibilities

Enable Practice

You will help embed a culture where children's welfare is paramount, ensuring practice is:

• Child-centred

• Trauma-informed

• Relational

• Systemic

• Strengths-based

• Focused on improving outcomes

You will provide effective challenge and professional scrutiny to ensure partner agencies work together to safeguard children and support their development.

Empower People

A key part of the role is ensuring that children's voices are genuinely heard and acted upon.

You will:

• Ensure children understand their rights and have meaningful participation in their reviews.

• Ensure their wishes and feelings influence care planning.

• Advocate for children when their needs or views are not being appropriately addressed.

• Support children to have a clear understanding of their plans and future aspirations.

Deliver Progress

You will proactively monitor children's progress and challenge any barriers to achieving positive outcomes.

This includes ensuring children:

• Are safe and protected from harm.

• Have stable and nurturing relationships.

• Receive appropriate education, health and emotional support.

• Are supported to achieve their aspirations.

• Have their care plans progressed without unnecessary delay.

• Are supported to maintain appropriate family and community relationships.

• Have opportunities for safe reunification where appropriate.

Statutory Responsibilities

The successful candidate will undertake all duties in accordance with relevant legislation, statutory guidance and the Independent Reviewing Officers Handbook (2010).

You will be expected to exercise your statutory functions independently, providing effective oversight, challenge and escalation where required.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for an experienced children's social care professional who has:

• A recognised Social Work qualification.

• Current Social Work England registration.

• Significant experience working within Children's Social Care.

• Strong knowledge and understanding of looked-after children and care planning.

• Experience undertaking or chairing LAC reviews.

• Strong understanding of statutory requirements and safeguarding legislation.

• Excellent professional challenge and scrutiny skills.

• Experience working effectively within multi-agency environments.

• A strong understanding of trauma-informed and systemic practice.

• Excellent communication, negotiation and advocacy skills.

• The confidence to challenge practice and escalate concerns appropriately.

• A strong commitment to ensuring children's voices and experiences influence decisions.

If you are an experienced children's social care professional with strong LAC, reviewing, safeguarding and professional challenge experience, this could be an excellent opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and young people.