Independant Chair

Job Title: Independent Chair Salary: £50,908 - £56,593 per annum 37 Hours per Week Location: Worcestershire Team: Child Protection Chair and Local Authority Designated Officer Fixed Term Contract

Independent Child Protection Chair and Local Authority Designated Officer – fixed term

Do you love working with children and young people?

Are you looking for a new challenge or change?

Do you want to further develop your social work career and knowledge working with permanent experienced colleagues and line managers?

Do you want to work in an environment where equality and diversity is recognised, promoted, and practiced?

Do you want to work for a service that has been rated as 'Good' by Ofsted?

Then Worcestershire needs to be your next move! We are recruiting to our Safeguarding Quality Assurance Team; we have one full-time position as an Independent Child Protection Chair and Local Authority Designated Officer.

This is an exciting opportunity to join an experienced and supportive team in the Safeguarding & Quality Assurance Service.

We are looking to recruit 2 full time Independent Chairs on fixed term basis covering Child Protection Conferences and the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO). You will be joining an experienced and permanent team; this role is well supported by a dedicated Practice Manager and Business Support function – ensuring you have the time to focus on your role. 

You will work as part of the Team, with dual allocation of children on Child Protection Plans and LADO cases – you will be responsible for chairing Initial & Review Conferences, ensuring SMART Plans, effective information sharing to manage risk and create positive outcomes for children, young people, and their families. The other element of the allocated work will be covering the role of LADO on a duty system, you will make decisions on initial referrals into the service and chair Initial POT Meetings and where appropriate continue to review case work to conclusion. 

Ofsted said “ multi-agency meetings are regular and well attended and contribute to shared decision-making that prioritises children ” and “ decision-making and meetings are timely ”.

The position is 37 hours per week and paid PO3 with 2 Market Forces increments - giving a total possible salary of £56,593 per annum.

In this role you need to have the ability to securitise, challenge and support both Social Care Teams and partners, this is crucial, alongside strong quality assurance experience and skills. 

You will be an experienced and qualified Social Worker with Management Experience, registered with Social Work England, who has a solid knowledge of policy, legislation, and good practice experience, and can demonstrate a strong commitment to strong multi-agency working and child focussed practice. You will have extensive experience of chairing complex and challenging meetings with the ability to manage difficult conversations.

So, what’s next?

If you would like more information on this position, please contact Karen Green (SQA Practice Manager) on 01905 844006.

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) This post is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of criminal records via the Disclosure and Barring Service before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of cautions, reprimands, or final warnings, as well as convictions. The County Council has a commitment to safeguarding service users in our care.

Equality & Diversity: The County Council is committed to equality of opportunity for all citizens and celebrates the diversity of all its residents.

Application Closing Date: 1st October 2026 Anticipated Interview Date: 5th October 2026

Attached documents JD - Independent Chair updated.doc Person Specification.docx