Job Title: Safeguarding and Review Manager (CP Chair)
Hours: 37
Salary: HC11 £48,474 - £52,859 (plus £5,000 market rate supplement per year £53,474 - £57,859)
Welcome payment: £5,000 after 6 months completion in post
Relocation package of up to £10,000 available
Contract: permanent
Closing date: 07/05/2024
The Role
As a Safeguarding & Review Manager in the Safeguarding and Review Service, you will work with children that Herefordshire cares for. You will chair review meetings, ensuring that all of our children have plans that are child focused, SMART and are achieving positive changes for our children and families. You will provide ongoing oversight, leadership and assurance, driving aspirational practice and improvements across the system. You will need to challenge where the care we offer needs to improve. You will have the opportunity to develop an area of specialist practice knowledge and will be a leader and advocate to enable us to drive quality assurance for our children to improve their outcomes.
The role within the Safeguarding and Reviewing Service is stimulating, varied and highly rewarding. You will join a committed and supportive team. You will need to possess the skills and ability to work inclusively with all relevant family members, carers and professionals and understand the skilful and sensitive use of authority as well as demonstrate excellent chairing skills, together with the ability and confidence to effectively scrutinise and challenge practice where needed. Candidates need to hold a Social Work qualification and be registered with Social Work England,
Experience and Skills
Key Skills:
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence the actions of others and communicate wide ranging information which may be complex and contentious
- The ability to negotiate solutions across wide areas of the service and successfully convince others of the need to take a specific course of action or adopt a specific approach for the safety and protection of children
- The ability to formulate and oversee plans, within which child safety is promoted, risk is sufficiently managed, permanence is progressed, and aspects of care, development and protection are thoroughly considered
- Able to formulate accurate, accessible, and comprehensive reports
- The ability to communicate effectively and sensitively, with children of all ages, capturing and responding to their wishes, feelings and lived experiences
- Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing needs, in a high pace environment
Qualifications and experience:
- Professional social work qualification and registered with Social Work England
- Experience as an IRO, a Child Protection Conference Chair or a team manager (to provide cover in the CP Conference service in times of urgent need)
- Extensive working knowledge of The IRO handbook, Child Protection Procedures, relevant legislation, regulations and guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children.
- Knowledge of Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Legislative Frameworks
- Previous leadership experience within a Children's Social Care environment
- Comprehensive knowledge of roles and responsibilities of all other agencies involved with children
- Significant understanding of relevant research, particularly that concerning child development, the effects of separation and loss and attachment theory
We Offer
A competitive salary, generous holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
- Team Manager starting salary: £48,474 - £52,859 per annum
- Market rate supplement: plus £5,000 per year
- Welcome payment £5,000 for experienced social workers joining our children’s teams
- Relocation packages: support of up to £10,000
- Pension Scheme Enrolment in the Local Government (LGPS)
- Professional development: protected time and budget to support social workers develop themselves and their careers.
- Career progression: clear pathways to progress
- Generous Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum
- Flexible working: flexi-time, job-share, part-time hours and, in some instances, home working
- Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
- Payment of professional membership fees
- Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
About Us
Herefordshire is a beautiful, historic county located in the heart of the Marches on the border with Wales. We are one of the most rural and sparsely populated counties in England with a wealth of unspoilt countryside, distinctive heritage, and lively and attractive market towns.
Our priority in Herefordshire is to keep children safe and give them a great start in life. It’s the priority for the council, our partners and for all of us who work with Children & Young People.
How do we do this? By having dynamic, dedicated, passionate and professional staff who work in a culture that focuses on what we can achieve with children, what they can achieve themselves, and the relationship we build with families and partners to enable this. We have invested heavily in training and developing staff in our relational practice approach with our improvement partner Leeds City Council, so it's an exciting time to join Herefordshire – we believe in investing in you so you can be the best you can be!
Herefordshire has a really strong team ethos. Our teams are passionate about the work they do and the positive difference they and the teams they are in make to people’s lives. This is all underpinned by the focus and support from their managers and the council as a whole.
We will deliver better support to our most vulnerable children and their families, develop stronger relationships with partners across the region, and beyond.
Therefore, we take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
Come to Herefordshire and join the journey.
Herefordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service enhanced check and further pre-employment checks.
We welcome applicants whatever their personal characteristics or social identity. All requests for flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments will be considered.
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:
- Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme;
- Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant; and
- Those who indicate in their supporting statement that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.
Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for more details of this role.
To apply, please submit your CV and complete the supporting statement within the application form, referring to the job description & person specification, detailing how you meet the specific requirements of the role.