Child Protection Conference Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer

• Candidate_Pack_-_People_Directorate_-_Sept_2025
• CPC_Chair___Independent_Reviewing_Officer_JD_PS_Sept25

Please apply online via the link provided.

Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.

We have a great opportunity for a Child Protection Conference Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer on a full time, permanent basis.

At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service.

About you...

As a Child Protection Conference Chair and Independent Reviewing Officer, you will be a dynamic and passionate person committed to improving outcomes for vulnerable children. This is your chance to join us at Bracknell Forest Council where your experience will help us shape how we do things to improve the well-being of our children.

You will be Social Work England registered with management experience in Children's Social Care.

About the team...

We are a small team that works closely together, with a clear focus on meeting our statutory responsibilities. We make sure our practice is rooted in key guidance like the BF Child Protection Procedures, Working Together to Safeguard Children, Keeping Children Safe in Education, and the IRO Handbook. By staying aligned with these frameworks, we aim to support the best possible outcomes for children on child protection plans and those in care.

We maintain high aspirations for all our children, developing strong partnership working to ensure our children are safe within their families and achieving their full potential in stable care arrangements. We offer high support to families holistically and high challenge to achieve this.

Key responsibilities...

• Quality assuring the care planning arrangements for each child, ensuring their wishes and feelings fully contribute to the planning for them and in line with the statutory guidance for Independent Reviewing Officers.
• Chairing of child protection conferences and related quality assurance activity in line with child protection procedures and ensuring the voice of the child is central to the safeguarding arrangements for them.
• Contribute to service and directorate wide quality assurance activity to support learning and development across the workforce.

Our benefits...

• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
• Paid employee volunteering scheme.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.

Our values...

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Reasonable adjustments...

We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.

Interview date

Interviews will be held on 27th and 28th October 2025.

Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Sadia Hanif, Conference and Review Team Manager

Tel: 01344 351289

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.

We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

No agencies please.