PLO Reviewing Officer - Children's Services - Swindon

Job description

PLO Reviewing Officer - Children's Services

Location: Swindon
Working pattern: Hybrid, with two days per week in the office

Caritas Recruitment is looking for an experienced PLO Reviewing Officer to support children's social work teams through Legal Planning Meetings, pre-proceedings and court processes.

This role requires a restorative approach, combining high challenge with high support, to strengthen assessment, care planning and timely case progression.

Key responsibilities

• Provide social workers with a reflective space to prepare for Legal Planning Meetings, ensuring assessments clearly identify harm.
• Ensure genograms and chronologies are accurate and fit for purpose.
• Support the timely progression of cases through pre-proceedings and court.
• Promote family-led practice, including Family Group Conferences and the involvement of fathers.
• Lead reflective case discussions, strengthening analysis and exploring the "so what?" within assessments.
• Progress care-planning meetings and support robust permanence planning, including triple tracking.
• Quality-assure court statements from an IRO/Children's Guardian perspective.
• Facilitate pre-CMH meetings with Children's Guardians and social workers.
• Liaise with the Children We Care For Team regarding post-adoption and foster-care family contact.
• Ensure effective final care-planning and legal-planning meetings are held, with coherent permanence plans in place.

Essential experience and skills

• Qualified and experienced Social Worker with at least five years' experience.
• Previous experience as an Independent Reviewing Officer, Child Protection Chair and/or Children's Guardian.
• Extensive experience of pre-proceedings and court work.
• Strong knowledge of Legal Planning Meetings, PLO processes and care proceedings.
• Excellent organisation, communication and analytical skills.
• Confident using Excel.

Previous experience of Liquidlogic would be advantageous.

Extra information

Status

Open

Education Level

Secondary School

Location

Swindon

Type of Contract

Full-time jobs

Salary indication

Between £42,000 and £64,000 Per Month

Published at

01-11-2026

Full UK/EU driving license preferred

No

Car Preferred

No

Must be eligible to work in the EU

No

Cover Letter Required

No

Languages

English