Devon County Council Children’s Services are recruiting to two new Fostering Independent Reviewing Officer (FIRO) posts.
This is an exciting opportunity for skilled and experienced social workers to contribute to the development of our fostering service; FIRO’s will support our ambition to deliver a high-quality fostering service by the independent chairing foster carers annual household reviews which recommend their continued suitability to foster and terms of approval.
About You
These are new posts for Devon County Council’s fostering service and we require FIRO’s who are enthusiastic, innovative and able to shape service delivery.
1. You will be an excellent, experienced and confident qualified social work practitioner
2. You must be organised, able to plan effectively and work independently
3. You will have good interpersonal and communication skills
4. You must have excellent assessment and report writing skills with the ability to analyse a wide variety of information
5. You should have some experience of quality assurance
6. You should have a good understanding of fostering and the role of foster carers together with a sound knowledge of Fostering Regulations and National Minimum Standards for Fostering
You must have:
7. A recognised social work qualification and substantial post-qualification experience in children's services
8. A valid registration with Social Work England
9. A current DBS specific to the role
About the Role
The FIRO will independently chair foster carer annual household reviews (face to face). To prepare for the foster carer annual review quality assurance of the foster carer records for the previous year will be required.
The FIRO will review and assess foster carers’ capacity to meet the needs of children and young people Devon County Council look after together with reviewing the quality of support and supervision provided to foster carers by the fostering service. The foster carers annual review will evidence their strengths and areas for support and development.
As part of the annual review the FIRO will be responsible for reviewing and confirming all the relevant foster carer checks are in place, all Safer Care agreements are up to date and accurate, all Training and Development Standards are completed and each foster carer has a suitable training and development plan in place.
The FIRO will prepare high quality review reports with clear recommendations to the service regarding the foster carers suitability to foster, evidencing the reasoning behind the recommendations made.
The FIRO will identify areas of good practice and areas of development for the fostering service.
The FIRO will provide quarterly reports to the fostering service identifying examples of good practice and practice which requires development; identify themes and trends; provide feedback on children’s views and recommendations for development and changes to practice.
You may also be required to undertake independent investigations of foster carers who are facing a Standards of Care concern or allegation.
About Us
Devon County Council children’s services continue to embed trauma informed, relationship-based practice with focus on a strengths-based approach. Our work is informed by our restorative framework to ensure that we support children and their families.
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What we can offer you
We value your vital contribution and offer a range of benefits to support your wellbeing and career:
10. Generous annual leave + option to buy more
11. Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working
12. Free onsite parking
13. Local Government Pension Scheme
14. Discounts at 900+ retailers
15. Cycle to work & EV salary sacrifice schemes
16. Employee Assistance Programme & wellbeing services
For informal discussion please contact Fostering Service Manager - Liz Clarke, on 07483405192 or by email
Internal Applicants: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.
This advert will close on 26 August 2025, however if sufficient applications are received before this date we may close the advert early - therefore we encourage you to apply early to avoid disappointment.
Interview date will be confirmed on notification of being shortlisted.
Please Note: At this time, we are only accepting applications from candidates who are currently residing in the UK and are unable to consider overseas applications.
Additional Information
17. Devon County Council values diversity and we welcome applicants who share our commitment to inclusion and equality. We are committed to providing an inclusive and safe environment. More information can be found on our
18. hybrid, part-time, condensed hours)
19. Please visit our page for more information
20. We’re committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment
21. This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English
22. Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with the Applicant privacy notice
23. This role requires a DBS disclosure
REQ008338 - Children's Social Care