Child Protection Conference Chairs (PO6)

Job Title: Child Protection Conference Chairs

Department: Children�s Social care

Division:

Business Unit:

Grade: PO6

Reports to: Team Manager

Responsible for:

Context The Chair of Conference occupy senior consultancy positions within the Local Authority and carry the main responsibility for quality assurance of fieldwork services by providing independent chairing of child protection conferences / Young Persons Safety (contextual harm) Plans.

Job Purpose To contribute to improved standards and outcomes for service users (children and their families) by giving consultation and expert advice, and/or challenge on complex child protection cases, team managers and outside agencies.

To conduct regular audits and or inspections of fieldwork services for children to ensure statutory requirements are met and by making recommendations for action.

Maintain professional independence from the line management of operational services and challenging practice when necessary.

Responsibilities

Chair child protection conferences and make decisions about whether a child should be made subject to a Child Protection Plan in line with national, local and pan-London Child Protection Procedures. (2.1 copied from the Chair JD)

Work with the Service & Team Managers to conduct regular inspections of fieldwork services for children using file audit, feedback from service users, analysing statistical data and interviewing staff.

Rigorously monitor and track child protection plans and allegations against people working / volunteering with children and refer slippage directly up the line management chain, including to the Director.

Take up any issues arising from the quality of social work practice and reports Child Protection conferences with the Team Managers, Service Managers, the relevant practitioners and their managers.

Making use of the Disputes Resolution Process (DRP) effectively to improve outcomes for children and the social worker / management practice.

To provide consultation to social workers/ team managers where expert advice is needed to improve outcomes for children and young people you are currently supporting.

Maintain strict independence from line management and provide appropriate challenge in Child Protection practice to ensure children are safeguarding.

Provide advice, guidance and expert consultation on child protection / safeguarding matters to social workers, team managers and staff from other agencies.

Promote full and active participation of children and their families in child protection conferences, including meeting with the child on their own (as appropriate).

Promote anti-discriminatory practice, equal access to resources, the understanding of difference and address equality issues for those in need of help and protection.

Attend Panel/s for tracking of children subject of child protection / young person safety plans and other professional meetings to track, improve and reinforce outcomes and service performance for the welfare of children.

Produce written summaries and focused child protection plans within the set timescales Protection Conferences within set timescales.

As required, contribute to policy and procedure development and working parties.

Represent the Department as required at meetings; contribute to multidisciplinary training, working parties and government forums as requested.

On occasion there may be a need to support in covering the Local Authority Designated Officer providing Advice and Guidance and Co-ordinating the investigations of allegations against staff and volunteers working with children, including foster carers. Chairing Allegations against Staff and Volunteer (ASV) strategy Meetings where required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

It is essential that in you can meet the following requirements for the role and be able to give evidence or examples of your proven experience in each of the short-listing criteria marked Application (A).

You should expect that all areas listed below will be assessed as part of the interview and assessment process should you be shortlisted.

If you are applying under the Disability Confident scheme, you will need to give evidence or examples of your proven experience in the areas marked with �Ticks� ( �) on the person specification when you complete the application form.

Shortlisting Criteria

For link/career graded post, please mark knowledge, experience, and behaviours clearly for each grade .

Key Knowledge

K1 Thorough knowledge of proposed and actual legislation, statutory regulations and Government guidance and Standards relevant to children in need and child protection �A

K2 Up to date professional and technical expertise in relation to children in need, child protection

Relevant Experience

E1 Significant and demonstrable post qualifying experience of working in a Social Care setting with children in need, child protection and children looked after. �A

E2 Experience of working collaboratively with other services e.g., Health or Education and service users to deliver a responsive and co-ordinated service.

E3 Experience of managing staff in child protection and  demonstrating the authority to challenge bad practice and promote good practice �A

Qualification Q1 A recognised Social Work or Social Care qualification and current Health and Care Professional Council registration (HCPC) as a qualified Social Worker. �A

Core Values and Behaviours

Equity Listen to the views of others and ask for their opinions making sure that everyone in my team inputs into the things that matter. Ensure fairness and justice is at the heart of my decision making and support to my team and others. Take time to build trust, building the respect of our stakeholders and ensuring as a team we take accountability for doing what we agree to do. Develop others and ensure we work as one team for Lambeth , encouraging everyone to play their part Take positive action to ensure everyone in my team has opportunities to learn and grow  at work Encourage everyone to be themselves at work and value who they are I am inclusive and actively celebrate diversity,  recognising everyone in my team as individuals.

Kindness Treat each member of my team with respect and dignity  just as I would want for myself. Encourage each member of my team to do their very best work and am available to them to provide support and guidance. Personalise my support to each team members and look out for them, lending a hand wherever I can Encourage everyone to try and learn from mistakes and use integrity to take action with my team to put things right together Work with empathy seeking to understand each and every member of team, their unique perspective and circumstances and ensure everyone is heard Take the time to communicate, being honest, open and genuine and taking the time to get to know team members as individuals. Show compassion and patience recognising that everyone in the team has unique experience and celebrating the great work they do for Lambeth. Look after the health and wellbeing of my team members and encourage open and regular discussions about the issues that impact on them, working together to find solutions.

Accountability I encourage and support my team to do the right thing even when it�s tough and we communicate our decisions in a timely way I ensure my team and employees take individual and collective accountability for performance and delivery, making sure that they have clear plans and performance objectives. I ensure my team plan ahead, getting the basics right and take swift action when problems arise I encourage my team to be risk aware and ensuring that our decisions and actions are informed and understood and communicated to others. I provide regular, timely and constructive feedback to my team members on their performance and behaviours and act quickly when performance is not on track. I share my learning, knowledge and skills with others thorough coaching and mentoring and encourage others to do the same. I ensure that my team and I put residents, communities, customers and their needs at the centre of everything we do. I encourage my team to learn and grow and ask questions to find the information they need to do their jobs

Ambition Am proud of our borough and my team and encourage everyone in the team to aim for the highest possible standards of excellence in everything we do. Encourage my team to be flexible and try new things when it�s appropriate to do so and tell me what could be improved. Promote a one team for Lambeth approach reaching out to our stakeholders to face our challenges together Encourage and support my team to be courageous for our residents and communities and stop at nothing to ensure they have the best possible outcomes I make time for the team to Innovate and look for creative ways to do things better, being curious about possibilities. Positively challenge and encourage the team to collaborate and look for solutions together across service and team boundaries. Make time for my team to grow and develop taking advantage of opportunities to learn from each other and others. We plan our learning and career growth.