About us
At Cheshire East Council we are resident, and partner focused with a vision to enable prosperity and wellbeing for all. People really are at the heart of everything we do and that starts with our incredible workforce. We promote a culture of high performance where people can aspire, thrive and flourish, where we strive to deliver best value in everything we do.
For us, success isn’t just about what we achieve, but how we achieve it together. We promote curiosity, excellence, innovation and continuous improvement.
We are values led and committed to wellbeing and inclusion for all, where our employees co-created our values of drive, integrity, respect and collaboration which inform all that we do.
We are proud to work for Cheshire East Council and believe you would be too!
Join us on a meaningful journey in Children’s Social Care at Cheshire East Council
We’re on a meaningful journey in Children’s Social Care and we’d love for you to be part of it. Joining us means becoming part of a supportive, forward-thinking team that’s passionate about making a real difference in the lives of children and young people. Everything we do is about putting them first, helping them grow, thrive and reach their full potential so they can build brighter futures.
If this sounds like the kind of impact you want to make, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Come and join us in shaping positive change for our young people.
About the role:
To fulfil the statutory functions of the Independent Reviewing Officer for cared for children, ensuring that care planning is of the highest quality and focused on achieving permanence, stability, safety and positive outcomes.
The postholder will champion children's rights and ensure that children's voices, wishes, feelings and lived experiences are central to all planning and decision-making. Working within Cheshire East's relational practice framework and Family First approach, the IRO will provide independent oversight, support and challenge to ensure children receive the care and services they need to flourish.
The role requires a practitioner who values relationships, demonstrates professional curiosity and is committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Key Responsibilities
Championing Children's Voices
- Ensure children's wishes, feelings, views and lived experiences are central to review processes and care planning.
- Build positive and effective relationships with children and young people.
- Use creative and innovative approaches to engage children and young people in meaningful participation.
- Ensure children understand the review process and have opportunities to contribute in ways that are meaningful to them.
- Promote children's rights and advocate for their best interests at all times.
Statutory Reviewing Functions
- Chair statutory reviews for cared for children in accordance with legislation, regulations and guidance.
- Monitor and review care plans to ensure they are ambitious, child-centred and outcome-focused.
- Ensure plans are progressing appropriately and are responsive to children's changing needs.
- Monitor the local authority's performance in relation to individual children's care planning and pathway planning.
- Ensure consideration is given to permanence, stability, identity, education, emotional wellbeing and future aspirations.
Quality Assurance and Challenge
- Provide effective independent oversight and scrutiny of care planning arrangements.
- Constructively challenge drift, delay or practice that does not meet the needs of children.
- Escalate concerns where appropriate, in line with statutory guidance and local procedures.
- Identify and share themes, trends and learning that support service improvement.
- Promote high standards of practice across Children's Services.
Partnership Working
- Work collaboratively with social workers, families, carers and partner agencies.
- Develop positive working relationships while maintaining professional independence.
- Contribute to a culture of reflection, learning and continuous improvement.
- Support a strengths-based and relational approach to working with children and families.
Recording and Reporting
- Produce clear, analytical and timely review documentation.
- Ensure all records and reports are completed to a high standard and within required timescales.
- Maintain accurate case records in accordance with statutory and local requirements.
This is just a snapshot of some of the exciting things you’ll be doing in the role, to find out more about the other key responsibilities of the role please view the attached job description.
About you:
Essential Qualifications
- Social Work qualification recognised by Social Work England.
- Current registration with Social Work England.
Essential Experience
- Significant post-qualifying experience within Children's Social Care.
- Extensive experience working with cared for children and care planning processes.
- Experience of chairing complex meetings and managing professional challenge.
- Experience of working effectively across multi-agency partnerships.
- Experience of supporting positive change and improved outcomes for children.
Essential Knowledge
- Children Act 1989 and associated legislation and guidance.
- IRO Handbook and statutory responsibilities relating to cared for children.
- Safeguarding and child protection procedures.
- Permanence planning and care planning processes.
- Children's participation and rights.
- Understanding of relational practice and the Family First reforms.
Essential Skills and Attributes
We are looking for someone who:
- Places children and young people at the heart of everything they do.
- Is passionate about hearing and amplifying children's voices.
- Understands the importance of relationships in achieving lasting change.
- Builds trust and positive connections with children, families and professionals.
- Demonstrates creativity in engaging with children and young people.
- Brings professional curiosity and reflective thinking to their practice.
- Has the confidence to provide support and challenge in equal measure.
- Is committed to achieving excellent outcomes for cared for children.
- Possesses strong communication, analytical and report-writing skills.
To find out more about the essential and desirable criteria for the role please view the attached job description specification document.
What we offer in return:
- A competitive salary - Between £48,072 per annum - £54,994 per annum (CEC NJC – Grade 11) with guaranteed yearly pay increases!
- Enhanced annual leave - Start with an impressive 34 days of annual leave (including bank holidays) from day one, and watch it grow to 39 days after just five years of service
- Purchase of annual leave – Want more time off? You can purchase up to 10 extra days of annual leave each year, giving you the flexibility to balance work and life just the way you want (Pro-rata for part-time staff)
- Flexible working pattern - Enjoy a 37-hour standard full-time work week with the added perks of flexitimeand hybrid/remote working arrangements where possible. Your work-life balance just got a whole lot better!
- Salary sacrifice green car scheme - Drive green and save green! Lease a brand-new electric or hybrid car through our salary sacrifice scheme. There’re no credit checks, no deposits, just significant savings and exclusive offers on a three-year lease
- White goods salary sacrifice scheme - Upgrade your home with ease. Purchase home and electronic items through our salary sacrifice scheme, spreading the cost of big-ticket purchases like appliances, computers, and tech gadgets directly from your salary
- Enhanced public pension - Secure your future with our career average pension, where contributions are built at a rate of 1/49th of your yearly pensionable pay
- Cycle to work scheme - Save up to 25-39% on the retail price of bikes and safety equipment through Income Tax and National Insurance savings. Get fit and save money!
- Employee assistance programme - Access a completely free and confidential assistance service to help manage, reduce, and overcome life’s challenges, both at work and in your personal life
- Discounted gym membership - Stay active and healthy with corporate membership prices for Everybody Leisure, including:
- Gym, Swim and Group Fitness at all 16 facilities
- Off-Peak Racket Sports
- Athletics Tracks
- Sauna/Steam/Spa
Organisation
Cheshire East Council
Job Category
Children and Young People Services
Salary Min
£48,072 Per Annum
Salary Max
£54,994 Per Annum
Employment Type
Permanent
How to apply
We’re delighted that you’re considering applying for this role!
As an equal opportunities’ employer, we warmly welcome applicants from all backgrounds. We believe that a diverse workforce helps us better reflect and serve our local communities, and together, we can build something truly special.
To join our team, simply click ‘Apply for this job’ at the bottom of the page. If you’d prefer an informal chat first or have any questions about the role, feel free to reach out to Lisa Cook at: [email protected], they will be happy to hear from you! Please remember to include the job reference so we know which role you are interested in.
Once you’ve applied for the position, please keep an eye on your email inbox (including your junk and spam folders), as we’ll send any correspondence there to stay in touch with updates about your application.
If you haven’t heard from us within four weeks of the closing date, it likely means we weren’t able to move forward with your application at this time but please don’t let this discourage you as your interest means a lot to us, and we’d truly love to hear from you again in the future!
For any technical enquiries please email [email protected]
Please quote job reference number in all correspondence.
Cheshire East Council is committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults across the Borough. As such, any cautions, convictions, reprimands or final warnings that are ‘not protected’ as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975 (as amended in 2013) relating to the non-disclosure of spent convictions do not apply to this job. You must therefore, disclose whether you have any previous convictions where prompted to do so within the application process.
