MAIN DUTIES

Practice

To:

1. Effectively chair multi-agency Looked After Children Reviews, Child Protection Conferences and complex strategy meetings as required.

2. Ensure a multi-agency approach to decision making and be responsible for the decision making process at conferences and reviews. Ensure that there is a framework for reviewing compliance of plans.

3. Ensure that dates for meetings fit within the statutory timescales for conferences and reviews and that they are conducted in line with procedures. Make decisions to defer when there is insufficient information on which to base a decision.

4. Ensure that minutes and records of meetings are accurate, meet statutory and legal requirements and are distributed within the required timescale. Develop, maintain and comply with efficient and effective systems to ensure compliance with procedures and recording systems.

5. Enable the child to have a voice in proceedings and care planning meetings as appropriate and ensure that the rights of children and parents are adequately addressed. Consistently promote participation and ensure advocacy services are utilised where appropriate.

6. Challenge service decisions where necessary to fulfil an agreed plan of care and ensure any drift is dealt with promptly, use statutory powers to escalate to senior management and external bodies where appropriate.

7. Liaise and negotiate with other professionals and agencies to ensure that the best possible outcomes are achieved for children and young people.

8. Advise the relevant manager of any resource shortfalls and recommend improved methods where appropriate.

9. Promote the highest levels of professional practice by building and maintain relationships with key partners including Team Managers to improve standards and outcomes for children in care, children in need of protection and children in need.

10. Undertake management reviews of individual cases as required and to audit cases on locally identified themes to ensure safety of practice.

11. Collate and analyse information data emanating from conference and review materials, provide independent professional leadership on practice matters and share good practice and learning across the service.

12. Promote leading edge innovative best practice across all tiers of the workforce including partner organisations. Monitor and evaluate effectiveness and take action to address and alleviate emerging issues.

13. Be part of a duty system providing consultation ensuring that issues are dealt with in a timely way and that conferences can be organised within speedy timescales.

14. To co-ordinate investigations of allegations against professionals in case when the LADO is unavailable.

15. Have lead responsibility for a specific area of care planning, this may include the LSCB and its sub-groups, children in care groups and children in need.

16. Access and make critical use of relevant knowledge and research from a variety of sources, including of current legislation and ensure this knowledge is applied across the service.

17. To be actively participating in service wide quality assurance

For more information, please contact Simone at Social Care Locums.