Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) & Child Protection Chair

• Role: Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) / CP Chair

• Location: Bury Council (Hybrid Working)

• Pay Rate: £40.00 per hour

• Contract: Full-Time, Ongoing Contract

Are you an accomplished safeguarding professional with the clinical authority and diplomacy required to challenge practice and elevate standards?

Bury Council is looking to appoint a resilient, highly skilled Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) to join their Quality Assurance and Safeguarding unit. Operating independently of frontline operational management, you will hold a critical role in overseeing statutory care planning, safeguarding protocols, and multi-agency accountability for children across the borough.

In this pivotal safeguarding position, your daily duties will center around three key objectives:

• Independent Chairing Excellence: Deliver an objective, child-centered chairing service for all multi-agency and departmental meetings regarding Child Protection plans and Looked After Children (LAC) statutory reviews.

• Inter-Agency Collaboration: Drive seamless partnerships between internal departments and external agencies (including health, education, and emergency services) through clear, authoritative, and timely communication.

• Quality Assurance & Compliance: Rigorously monitor, audit, and promote strict adherence to national Child Protection procedures and statutory LAC regulations to guarantee a consistently high-quality service for children and families.

• Professional Registration: Must be a Qualified Social Worker with an active Social Work England registration.

• Advanced Expertise: Substantial post-qualifying experience within statutory Child Protection and Looked After Children services.

• Leadership Capability: Proven experience operating at a Senior Practitioner, Team Manager, or IRO level, with the confidence to challenge multi-agency partners and hold the local authority to account.

• Communication Skills: Exceptional analytical writing skills and the verbal presence required to chair complex, emotionally charged professional meetings.

• Competitive Pay: A premium hourly rate of £40.00 per hour.

• Workplace Balance: A stable, hybrid working model that allows you to manage your review schedule and administrative duties flexibly.

• Professional Impact: The autonomy to truly shape care plans and influence safeguarding outcomes within a progressive Quality Assurance framework.

If you are a safeguarding expert ready to step into a key quality assurance role in Bury, we want to hear from you.

Randstad Care acts as an employment business when supplying temporary staff and as an employment agency when introducing candidates for permanent employment with a client. Randstad Care is an equal opportunities employer and decisions are made on merits alone.

Did you know that Randstad Care have been awarded a place on the National Clinical Staffing Framework for the NHS? This means we will be able to bring you more opportunities within nursing & midwifery and clinical staffing.

experience

Children services

skills

be able to manage challenging situations

qualifications

university

education

BA in social work