Independent Chair

All about the Role

Are you intrigued in quality assurance and looking to ensure high standards of service delivery to children and young people? This position offers an opportunity to work within the Safeguarding Quality Assurance (SQA) service as an Independent Chair.

We have a vacancy for the role of Independent Chair. The Independent Chair is responsible for chairing Child Protection Conferences, Risk Outside The Home (ROTH) conferences and Child in Care Reviews, primarily focusing on Child Protection Conferences, and providing advice and consultation to key multi-agency partners.

This role plays a crucial part in improving the lives of children by ensuring their views are heard, considered, and influential in decisions and plans for their future. The Independent Chair ensures that Child Protection and Children in Care plans are evidence-based, child-focused, and aspirational, achieved within the child''s timeframe, aimed at reducing the risk of harm, and consistently meeting children''s needs.

All about our Team

The Independent Chair role sits under within the Safeguarding and Quality Assurance Service, which includes Independent Chairs, Quality Assurance Officers and the participation.  The successful candidate will be joining an established, stable and supportive team of permanennt practitioners. 

All about You

Candidates should possess extensive experience and proven skills across children''s services, particularly in child protection and children in care practice, enabling them to respond to safeguarding needs with a sound knowledge base and effective communication skills with various audiences. They will contribute to the overall delivery and continuous improvement of Children''s Services within an equalities framework and adhere to the highest standards of practice.

Applicants must be Social Work England registered Social Workers with management experience and dedication to achieving the best outcomes for children and young people. Peterborough aims to maintain caseloads in line with statutory guidance and provides regular supervision and support for professional development.

All about our Benefits 
We value our colleagues and have developed a number of benefits in addition to our generous annual leave starting at 25 days + bank holidays, sick pay and local government pension scheme 

• Access to a range of benefits via Vivup, including in-store and online discounts as well as our Cycle to Work and Home & Electronics schemes 
• Buy up to 10 days additional annual leave (pro-rata)  
• Access to car lease scheme 
• Take your bank holidays flexibly to better suit your personal circumstances 
• Make Additional Voluntary Contributions (Shared Cost AVCs) to your pension with tax and National Insurance savings 
• Access to development opportunities including apprenticeships to support your personal and professional growth 
• Paid volunteering hours each year so you can make a positive impact on our community during your normal working day 
• Access to our equality, diversity and inclusion network 
• Opportunities to receive Employee Recognition Awards 

All about our Commitments 
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to fostering diversity, advancing equity, and building an inclusive workplace for everyone. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and particularly encourage those from underrepresented groups, including disabled people, care leavers, and individuals from minority ethnic communities. Your unique perspectives and experiences are encouraged and valued and will play a vital role in our success. 

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible. If you are disabled and require any reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process, please contact (url removed)  we will work with you to meet your needs. 

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitmen