Independent Scrutineer

The Staffordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership (SSCP) are looking to appoint an Independent Scrutineer who can provide insight, challenge, independent views and scrutiny of the effectiveness of our children safeguarding arrangements and the extent to which we are embedding a practice-learning culture for children in Staffordshire.

The core responsibility of this role is to provide independent challenge, enquiry, and investigation to assist the Partnership in fulfilling its statutory responsibilities under the Children Act 2004 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026. Working as part of the partnership, the Scrutineer will work across Staffordshire providing reports, commenting on assurance and performance, and evaluating the effectiveness of partnership arrangements.

This is a pivotal period to ensure the partnership’s work is closely aligned with the government’s Families First Partnership Programme, which prioritises supporting families at the earliest possible stage. The Independent Scrutineer will offer rigorous scrutiny and constructive feedback to ensure our approach not only reflects the principles of the Families First Partnership Programme but also delivers meaningful and positive outcomes for children and families across Staffordshire.

You will perform Office Holder duties and IR35 rules apply to this appointment. Payments will be made through payroll and tax, and NI deductions will be made at source via PAYE in line with current HMRC guidelines.

You will:

• Provide independent scrutiny of SSCP multi agency safeguarding arrangements.
• Act as a critical friend, offering constructive challenge and assurance to safeguarding partners.
• Ensure compliance with statutory duties outlined in Working Together 2026.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding practice and identify areas for improvement.
• Champion the voice of children and families in safeguarding processes.
• Produce reports and recommendations for the Executive to support continuous improvement.
• Support the partnership’s continued development and anticipated evolution during a period of change for all partners, including working across the new ICB footprint and collaborating with other scrutiny processes where appropriate.
• Develop relationships with all partners to retain sufficient independence.

You will:

• Be experienced at a senior level and skilled in multi-agency working.
• Have strong analytical and evaluation skills.
• Able to provide independent, objective challenge.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills.
• Commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.
• Have an in-depth understanding of the statutory and policy frameworks that underpin safeguarding arrangements, including recent developments in health care, social care, policing, legislation, and research underpinning safeguarding work.

To apply please submit your expression of interest which should outline how your suitability and knowledge, skills and experience are relevant to the job profile. You will be shortlisted for interview based on the respective CV's including the evidence of experience. Please ensure that referee details are contained within your CV or covering letter.

For an informal conversation regarding the vacancy, please contact: Bernie Brown, Director of Childrens Services on Samuel.Clarke@staffordshire.gov.uk

The selection process will involve:

• A prescribed presentation
• An interview panel comprising of the three Delegated Safeguarding Partners
• An interview with a stakeholder panel

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

As you’ll know safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people/vulnerable adults is important to us and that’s why this position is subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service. If applicable you should disclose details of unspent and unfiltered spent reprimands, formal warnings, cautions and convictions in your application form.