Qualified - Independent Reviewing Officer

Qualified Independent Reviewing Officer

Role: Independent Reviewing Officer (CP Chair)
Location: Tameside
Team: Safeguarding and Reviewing Service
Pay: Up to £40 per hour
Contract: Locum – Full-time, Office-Based (36 hours per week)

Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council is looking for an experienced Child Protection Chair to join their Safeguarding and Reviewing Service as an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO). This statutory, full-time role is fully office-based and requires a practitioner who can hit the ground running in a busy safeguarding environment.

The role primarily involves chairing Child Protection Initial and Review Conferences, ensuring independent oversight and scrutiny for children deemed at risk of significant harm. You will also chair Child in Need (CIN) meetings, undertake home visits, and provide professional input into legal gateway processes.

As a CP Chair, you’ll conduct midpoint reviews, challenge poor practice through the Practice Review Process, and ensure that all child protection plans are progressing within statutory timescales. The role requires strong leadership, sound judgement, and the ability to challenge drift or delay in multi-agency planning.

What You’ll Need:

  • Social Work England Registration

  • Social Work Qualification

  • At least 3 years’ experience chairing Child Protection Conferences

  • Experience working as an IRO or CP Chair in a local authority

  • Strong working knowledge of Working Together to Safeguard Children

  • Must be local to Tameside and willing to work from the office full-time

Why Sheldon Phillips?

Because we actually listen to what you need. We’re not just here to fill roles—we’re here to find you the right fit in a supportive and rewarding team. That’s why social workers trust us to help them take the next step in their careers.

If you want to know more about this Independent Reviewing Officer role in Tameside, give Ellis Russell a call on 01635 226350 – let’s have a chat!

And don’t forget – if you refer a friend and we place them, you’ll get £300 as a thank you! (Terms and conditions apply).