3 Month Contract With A Local Authority

We are seeking an experienced Team Manager / Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) to provide sickness-cover management within our Supporting Families First service. This dynamic, multi-disciplinary team works directly with families identified as Children in Need (CIN) under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989, delivering intensive family support and safeguarding interventions.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide operational management and professional supervision to a multi-disciplinary CIN team.
  

• Ensure effective case allocation, workload management, and oversight of social work practice.
  

• Maintain high standards of performance, safeguarding, and statutory compliance.
  

• Fulfil IRO responsibilities, including chairing CIN reviews, quality assurance of plans, and escalation where necessary.
  

• Monitor the effectiveness of CIN and family support plans, ensuring children’s voices are central to decision-making.
  

• Provide critical challenge to practitioners to improve outcomes and reduce risk.
  

• Oversee complex CIN cases, ensuring risk assessments are robust and regularly reviewed.
  

• Ensure practice aligns with Section 17 responsibilities, Working Together guidance, and local safeguarding procedures.
  

• Promote safe, timely, and coordinated responses to emerging risks.
  

• Work collaboratively with health, education, police, early help, and voluntary services.
  

• Support the integrated approach offered by the Supporting Families First service.
  

• Strengthen partnerships to ensure coordinated, child-centred interventions.
  

• Drive continuous improvement and reflective learning within the team.
  

• Support staff training, coaching, and development in child protection, CIN processes, and family-led approaches.
  

• Ensure recording, decision-making, and casework reflect best practice standards.
  

• Contribute to service development initiatives and performance reporting.
  

• Maintain accurate, timely case notes and oversight records.
  

• Provide leadership cover as required across pods, ensuring service continuity.
  

Requirements

• Qualified Social Worker with registration (SWE).
  

• Strong experience working as a Team Manager, IRO, Deputy Team Manager, or Senior Practitioner within children’s services.
  

• Proven track record in CIN, safeguarding, and multi-disciplinary family support.
  

• Experience managing complex cases and providing high-quality supervision.
  

• In-depth knowledge of:
  

  • The Children Act 1989, particularly Section 17
    

  • CIN and CP pathways
    

  • Working Together to Safeguard Children
    

  • Safeguarding and multi-agency practice
    

• Ability to analyse risk, quality-assure plans, and drive improved outcomes.
  

• Strong leadership, communication, and organisational skills.
  

• Confident in chairing meetings, challenging practice, and escalating concerns appropriately.
  

• Ability to travel within Worcestershire across service pods.
  

• Flexible, resilient, and able to manage high-pressure environments.