LADO

We are currently recruiting for a LADO to join our allegations management team on a permanent, full time basis.

About us

For all your hard work. You will receive the following:

- Between £49,498- £51,515 per annum subject to experience
- flexible and agile working opportunities
- 25.5 days annual leave rising to 30.5 days after 5 years continuous service (pro- rata)
- an option to purchase up to 10 days of additional leave per year
- family friendly policies and benefits to help support you and your family
- supportive and positive working environment with regular, robust supervision
- Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that provides free, confidential, counselling and advice for employees, available 24 hours a day, online and by telephone.
- an in-house Occupational Health service
- employee discount scheme
- cycle to Work scheme
- links to employee networks such as Prism (LGBT+) and the Young Employees Network
- career development and qualification opportunities
- access to our Social Work Academy

Right child, right support, right time, every time

We are working together to support families and communities to give every child the best chance of a happy and rewarding life, especially those who need more help.

Gloucestershire offers a range of opportunities to develop your career, supported by a phenomenal Social Work Academy offer, a developing systemic practice methodology, an ambitious leadership team and an award-winning workforce.

Gloucestershire Children’s Services are improving. Our latest Ofsted inspection (February 2022) identified that:

‘Significant progress has been made in many areas of Gloucestershire’s children’s services… significant financial investment and the backing of political leaders, has led to improved services that are now more effective in meeting the needs of children and families’.

We are a local authority adopting, and training all colleagues in, systemic social work practice. If you would like to be part of an authority that takes a relational approach to working with families and focuses on what needs to change in the system around a child and family to enable children to thrive, then consider a role with GCC.

About the team

The Allegations Management team sits within the Quality Assurance and Reviewing Service, alongside the Child Protection Conferencing and Independent Reviewing Services. The team is comprised of 2.5 LADOs together with 2.5 business support administrators. The office base is at Shire Hall in Gloucester.

About you

As an independent officer the LADO will offer professional consultation and advice, chair and coordinate complex meetings, and oversee the management of allegations against people who work with children in paid employment or in voluntary work. This is a specialist key role in ensuring that we as a Local Authority (alongside partners) comply with our statutory duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The post holder will promote excellent practice and outcomes, and consistent thresholds for intervention across services.

The responsibility of this role is to ensure safe and effective decisions are made for children, you will ensure allegations made against adults working with children are managed fairly and effectively. This will include safeguarding activity within and across agencies inside and outside the council (including schools, voluntary organisations, clubs and independent organisations). The role may also include providing training and awareness raising in relation to the safety of children in professional or voluntary organisations across Gloucestershire (including schools, voluntary organisations, clubs and independent organisations).

- you will need, a minimum of 5 years post qualified social work experience safeguarding children and young people
- previously held a management level role (or equivalent, e.g. Child Protection Chair or Independent Reviewing Officer) within children’s social care.
- experience in multi-agency collaboration and partnership working
- ability to work effectively in a very sensitive environment, to challenge assertively whilst maintaining professional integrity and delivering difficult messages with sensitivity
- competent IT skills specifically in use of Word and Excel and databases.
- good written ability to record information as an investigation continues including Freedom of Information requests and information from the files required for Court.
- Sound working knowledge of safeguarding legislation and guidance as well as employment and criminal law.
- high level of knowledge on child development, attachment, significant harm and thresholds for intervention
- qualified Social Worker with a recognized professional qualification (e.g., BA Social Work, MA Social Work, DipSW).
- current registration with Social Work England.

How to apply
If you would like further details or information on the role please email: Eve.McCarthy@gloucestershire.gov.uk