Placement Officer

I am currently recruiting for a Placement Officer to join a Local Authority in South-West London on a contract basis.

**Hourly pay is an umbrella rate**

The client is looking for someone to undertake placement searches and commission internal and external placement for children and young people aged 0-18 years. You will be responsible for covering placement duty, dealing with requests for emergency placement, short term placement and also long term placement. They will also be required to work closely with all of the front-line social work teams, looked after children's teams and leaving care teams to ensure that they identify the most suitable placements for the children and young people.

Main duties will include:

- Delivering services that improve outcomes for children as set out in the Care Planning Regulations 2010 - 2015 Children Act (1989) and the Children and Adoption Act (2002)
- Offering a timely and supportive service to find placements in collaboration with social workers, assistant team managers and team managers on a daily basis within Specialist Children’s Services.
- Ensuring that Mosaic casework within the team is managed both timely and safely.
- Ensuring placements made in line with statutory duties and current legislation for children and families.
- Cultivating and maintaining excellent relationships with Council Foster Carers, and a wide range of Independent Foster Agencies, Residential homes, and Semi Independent providers.
- Ensuring costs of placements are kept as low as possible while maintaining high quality of service ensuring the needs of the child are met and exceeded whenever possible.
- Contributing to the monitoring of commissioned placements, including taking the lead on monitoring Semi Independent Providers, and helping to ensuring providers are clear on their organisational statuary responsibility and the councils expectations.
- Routinely attend and contribute and lead when appropriate to Placement planning and placement disruption meetings.
- Undertaking site visits to a range of external placements providers including IFAs, Residential units and Semi Independent units.

Experience / knowledge required:

- Understanding of relevant legislation affecting work with Children.
- Detailed knowledge and understanding of the national statutory frameworks, government priorities and published guidance for children and families
- Excellent knowledge of the IFA, residential and Semi Independent provider market across London and the wider region. Including a good knowledge of specialist provision for high need children & young people.
- Knowledge of commissioning services to meet the needs of looked After children and care leavers.
- At least one year experience of working at a similar grade within a similar role/team.
- Experience of delivering operational services and sourcing and brokering services, experience of working with a range of placement providers that meet the needs of looked after children and care leavers.

**Job Type**: Temporary contract

**Salary**: £27.00 per hour

Schedule:

- Monday to Friday

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Twickenham

Reference ID: VR/41681JA