This is an excellent opportunity for a dedicated Child Protection Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer to make a meaningful impact on the lives of vulnerable children. Working at the heart of our safeguarding service, you will use your knowledge, experience and professional influence to challenge, support and improve practice across the organisation.
You will have proven experience leading Child Looked After Reviews, Child Protection Conferences and other complex meetings, helping to ensure every child receives the protection, support and opportunities they deserve.
You will be Social Work England registered.
We are a small, highly experienced team of professionals who work collaboratively to make a real difference for children and young people. We are committed to maintaining a strong focus on our statutory responsibilities, guided by frameworks such as the Bracknell Forest Child Protection Procedures, Working Together, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and the IRO Handbook. Together, we strive to deliver high-quality oversight and support that promotes positive outcomes for children subject to child protection plans and children in care.
We have high aspirations for all our children and work closely with partners to ensure they are safe within their families and supported to achieve their full potential in stable care arrangements. We take a holistic approach to supporting families, offering both high levels of support and appropriate challenge to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Please note: Children's services are currently progressing its Families First transformation programme. This role may be subject to changes to its responsibilities, reporting arrangements and/or job description. Any proposed changes would be managed in accordance with the Councils relevant consultation processes and policies.
- 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
- Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
- Paid employee volunteering scheme.
- Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
- Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
- Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
- Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
- Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
- Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.
At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.
We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting [email protected]. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.
Bracknell Forest Council is proud to be an inclusive employer. This means that if you have made us aware on the application form that you have a disability, are an armed forces veteran or you are a care leaver, you will be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.
Interviews will be held on 14th and 15th September.
Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.
Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.
For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:
Sadia Hanif, Conference and Review Team Manager on 01344 351289.
Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
No agencies please
