People and Place

Social Workers:  Independent Reviewing Officer Child Protection

Ref: G9/OL-91619

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary: £44,428 - £48,474 p.a.

Essential Car user allowance provided.

Hours: 36.66 per week

Based:  Safeguarding and Review Unit, Rock Street Centre, Oldham, OL1 3UJ

Closing date:  21st April 2024

Shortlisting:  22nd April 2024

Interview: TBC

Informal Enquiries: Contact Kimberley Nield, Head of Head of Independent Review. Email: Kimberley.Nield@oldham.gov.uk

Job Description and Person Specification.doc

See Staff Benefits for more information.

There's never been a better time to join Children’s Social Care at Oldham:

In Oldham we have the highest aspirations to achieve the best outcomes for our children and families and to sustain them in their communities. We put their needs at the heart of everything we do, and we’re committed to providing our staff with the resources needed to work effectively with children and families, including reducing caseloads.

This has resulted in investment in more teams across a range of service areas and we’re now looking for motivated and ambitious individuals who share our aspirations.

What do our teams like most about working for us:

• Essential car user allowance of £500* and mileage expenses at 45p per mile.
• Reimbursement of Social Work England professional registration fees, currently £90 per year
• Generous relocation package of up to £8,000
• Other generous benefits including:
  • 25 days annual leave with the option to purchase additional days, and which increases after 5- and 10-years’ service
  • Attractive defined benefit pension scheme with a market leading AVC option for additional retirement savings 
  • Discounted gym membership
  • Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
  • Salary sacrifice scheme, including Cycle to Work
  • Wellbeing support, including an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events
• A supportive and enabling workplace with quality supervision from your manager
• A comprehensive learning and development programme as part of your ongoing Continuing Professional Development
• Clear progression pathways
• Oldham Children's Social Work Services are not currently considering applications from overseas, Unless you have a prior registration with SWE and do not require a visa to work in the UK.

What’s different about being an Independent Reviewing Officer in Oldham?

We work with one of the most diverse communities of any local authority in the country and this is reflected within our workforce which we believe is one of our greatest strengths. The life experiences and challenges facing our children and families are incredibly varied and require an inclusive response which recognises the family’s unique strengths and works with them to achieve solutions.

We will develop and reward you for your expertise - that’s why we make sure you have access to a range of support, continual professional development, and training opportunities to continually improve your practice.  We also offer a clear career development route based on your skills and experience through our progression pathway.

Here’s the role

Child Protection Reviewing Officers chair Initial Child Protection Conference and Reviews taking the lead role in conference management and establishing the plan for any actions needed by all relevant agencies. In this role you will have oversight of the child protection planning through review to ensure that progress is made with the plan and safeguarding concerns are responded to with the right level of intervention at the right time.

In Oldham we are committed to systemic practice, with a focus on building relationships with children and families and reflective learning, both within families and as a Service. We will support you with training in this model.

What we need from you:

To apply for any of this position, we need you to be a qualified, experienced social worker and registered with Social Work England.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Oldham Council, we are committed to creating a fair and inclusive workplace that is as diverse as the communities we serve. We aim to develop a culture of respect, where differences are recognised regardless of background. We aim to be an employer of choice by engaging in fair and open recruitment processes and Applications are encouraged from all communities across the borough to create a workforce that represents the diversity of our population.

About Us:

For more information, please visit Leading Oldham to find out more about our fantastic Social Work Academy, and Oldham - A great place to live to understand more about Oldham and where it’s heading.

Oldham Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure from the DBS (and a Certificate of Good Conduct where you have lived abroad for 12 months or more in the last 10 years).

The successful applicant will be required to register to the DBS Update Service to enable the Council to undertake rechecks throughout your employment.  The cost to register is £13 and can be claimed back upon commencement to the role but will not be refunded if you do not accept the offer of employment. 

If you would like support with this application, an interview or interested in looking at any courses that could help with this position please get in touch with Get Oldham Working - Get Oldham Working registration form - Oldham Council

NB. - Any candidate that meets the criteria of our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme and meets the essential criteria of the role, will be guaranteed the first stage of assessment (whether that is an interview or another assessment, as appropriate).

Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme supports candidates with disabilities, carers, those who are aged 24 or under and have previously been in or currently in care, and those whose last long term substantive employer was the Armed Forces.