Quality & Reviewing Officer

Purpose: The role of the Quality Assurance and Reviewing Officer (QARO) within the QARO and wider Principal Officer's team is to conduct the review process by:

• Taking a lead role in chairing LAAC, LAC review meetings and Child Protection Planning Meetings.
• Ensuring the child is at the centre of all LAAC, LAC and Child Protection meetings.
• Supporting the participation of the child and their family.
• Facilitating the discussion and participation of all attendees.
• Ensuring that the review meeting agrees a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timeous) Child's Plan that ensures the child's safety and well-being.
• Ensuring that the plan is reviewed within required timescales
• Ensuring quality standards as defined are met through key performance indicators and where, they are not met, exception reports are provided to relevant senior managers.
In managing the review process the QARO will ensure the aims of the service in relation to Looked After Children are observed, including:
• Maintaining children in their community when this can be achieved safely.
• Where a child becomes looked after and accommodated by the local authority, reunifying the child to his/her/their family of origin where this can be achieved safely.
• Highland's Family First approach.
• Where reunification is not viable, timeously securing permanent or long-term alternative care.
  
  A relevant professional qualification in Social Work at degree level.
• Registration (or ability to) on the SSSC register as a Social Worker.
• Postgraduate Certificate in Child Welfare and Protection (or commitment to undertake this course)
• Four years post qualifying experience with at least two years in practice in a setting involving assessment and planning for LAC, LAAC and/ or children at risk of harm and/ or interagency support plans. Enhanced experience of child protection and permanency planning underpinned by a sound knowledge of theory and legislation.
• Ability to travel efficiently and effectively between various work locations within Highland to meet the operational requirements of the service.
This position is classified as a regulated role. As such, an Overseas Criminal Record Check may be required depending on your nationality and recent residency history. Specifically, this check will be necessary if you do not meet both of the following criteria:
• You must be a national of the United Kingdom or one of the following countries: Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, or Poland.
• You must not have lived or worked in any country outside of the UK or those listed above for a period of three months or more, while aged 18 years or over, within the past five years.
Please note that it is your responsibility to obtain the Overseas Criminal Record Check, and you will be required to cover any associated costs.