Assistant Head of Service – Independent Reviewing Services

We are looking for a compassionate, grounded, and relationship‑driven leader to guide our Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) Service. This role belongs to the Assistant Head of Service. You will lead a team, stand alongside children, ensure their voices are heard, and shape how the Trust listens, learns, and grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide supportive, values‑led leadership to the IRO Service, modelling curiosity, empathy, and thoughtful challenges.
• Ensure that every review places the child’s voice, feelings, and aspirations at its heart.
• Strengthen the visibility and independence of the IRO role so that children feel genuinely advocated throughout their care journey.
• Oversee the quality and consistency of planning and review processes, focusing on relationships, stability, and achieving lasting outcomes.
• Use insights from IROs—both individual and thematic—to influence wider service development in a constructive, collaborative way.
• Ensure regular and reflective engagement with children, carers, families, and partners, promoting a culture where feedback genuinely shapes practice.
• Build strong, trusting relationships with your team, practitioners, and partners so that IRO learning leads to shared responsibility and improvement across the system.
• Champion a workforce culture rooted in kindness, professional confidence, and continuous learning.
• Direct line management of IROs.

Qualifications

• A social work qualification (SWE registered).
• Evidenced experience within children’s services and a strong relational practice ethos.

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