Children’s Independent Reviewing Officer

Join Tower Hamlets Children's Services as an Independent Reviewing Officer!

Location: Tower Hamlets Town Hall, Whitechapel, London E1

Salary: Competitive salary £56,733 - £59,772 plus retention allowance and travel allowance

Benefits: Up to 31 days annual leave, Local Government Pension Scheme, Cycle to Work scheme, and more!

Tower Hamlets Children's Services is offering an exciting opportunity for an experienced social worker to join our Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Service as an Independent Reviewing Officer. As part of our OUTSTANDING Children’s Service, you will play a pivotal role in advocating for child looked after and care leavers.

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About the Role: In this role, you will chair Care Leavers transition reviews, which take place following their 18^th Birthday, and Children Looked After Reviews making sure children’s plans are being progressed. Your expertise will be vital in ensuring that the right decisions are made at the right time, and that children and families are included in developing their plans. You will:

• Chair Care Leaver Transition Reviews and Children Looked After Reviews in person, review their care plan, and ensure their needs are being met. On occasion you will need to chair child protection conferences and child in need reviews.
• Provide professional consultation, support, and challenge to social work practitioners and managers about children looked after / care leavers, ensuring their needs are being met.
• Develop SMART plans with children, parents, and carers that are focused on positive, measurable outcomes.
• Monitor progress on plans and identify barriers to the implementation of children’s plans within the wider multi-agency system.

What We’re Looking For: We are seeking a highly skilled Social Worker who:

• Have managerial experience supervising staff and front-line safeguarding experience.
• Are registered with Social Work England.
• Possesses a strong understanding of The Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010, child protection legislation, family court processes, and children’s rights.
• Are adept at chairing multi-agency meetings, ensuring children’s participation and parents are engaged, and resolving differences.
• Have outstanding communication and written skills.
• Are passionate about diversity, inclusion, and advocating for the best outcomes for children and families.
• Are committed to sharing knowledge and learning to improve practice.
• Can proactively ensure children’s outcomes are at the heart of decision-making.

Why Join Tower Hamlets?

• Excellent Work Environment: Modern, refurbished Town Hall opposite Whitechapel Station.
• Competitive Salary & Benefits: Market supplement, up to 31 days of annual leave, and Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Flexible Working Options: Consideration for part-time or flexible working arrangements.
• Manageable Caseloads: Giving you the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with families.
• Cycle to Work Scheme: Including the City Bike Hire Scheme for easy commuting.

Take the Next Step in Your Career! If you're passionate about making a difference and shaping the future of children looked after and care leavers, we want to hear from you. This is your chance to join a team that’s dedicated to delivering excellence for children in care and leaving care.

For any questions or queries about the role, please get in touch with Shirley Quashie-Dunne atShirley.Quashie-Dunne@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Deadline for the post: 13th July 2025

Interviews: Friday 1st August 2025 

Please hold these dates in your diary.

Additional Details

Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.

Tower Hamlets has a zero-tolerance approach to, and works to eradicate, all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and maternity and looks to employ a diverse workforce representative of those groups. We recognise that people can also be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. 

We are a Disability Confident Employer, which means applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the post are guaranteed an interview. Care experience has also been adopted by the Council as an additional protected characteristic.

We welcome applicants interested in flexible working arrangements and also applicants who live in the borough. 

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This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Tower Hamlets Councils are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.