Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)

Role Responsibility

Kent’s Independent Reviewing Service is seeking to recruit full-time permanent IROs.  These posts provide an exciting opportunity to influence the delivery of good social work practice and promote positive outcomes for children and young people in our care.  Successful applicants will be part of a large and supportive team. 

In order to apply for this post you must have a recognised Social Work qualification, be registered with Social Work England and with extensive experience of working within Children’s Services, ideally with previous LAC experience and as a Team Leader/Manager with supervisory experience. An advanced Social Work qualification would also be an advantage.

Successful applicants will have proven skills in chairing complex multi-agency meetings and a knowledge of current children’s legislation and practice. 

Excellent written and verbal communication, IT skills and the ability to prioritise your own work and respond to tight deadlines are essential for this post. Successful applicants will remain objective whilst developing effective working relationships with Social Workers, their Managers and other professionals involved in promoting the safety and welfare of children in care.

Kent is a large authority and it will be necessary in your role as IRO to travel across a relatively wide geographical area, although caseload allocation for each IRO is generally managed around one of 4 areas and wherever possible on a district basis.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England..

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Contact Details

Pritpal Sodhi - Pritpal.Sodhi@kent.gov.uk 03000 412349

Tina Onuchukwu - Tina.Onuchukwu@kent.gov.uk  03000 418711