Placement Officer

Job Description

JOB TITLE: Placement OfficerLOCATION: Hybrid working (3 days working from home, 2 days office based in Wandsworth)PAY RATE: £16.56 per hour PAYESTART DATE: ASAPDURATION/Hours: 3-month initial contract/ 36 hours a weekRole overview: Placement Officers will expected to undertake placement searches and commission internal and external placement for children and young people aged 0-18 years. The role is 36 hours per week and the Placement Officer will cover placement duty dealing withrequest for emergency placement, short term placement and long-term placement. They will also be required to work closely with all of the front-line social work teams, looked after childrens teams and leaving care teams to ensure that they identify the mostsuitable placements for the children and young people. Although this is 9 to 5 there are times when Placement Officers will be required to work beyond 9 to 5 to secure a placement that has come through at last minute. Any hours worked outside core hours canbe claimed back via toil.Specific duties & responsibilities:

• Deliver 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) to ensure that Wandsworth Borough Council fulfils its obligations to implement the UNConvention on the Rights of the Child 1989
• Offer 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 Childrens Services.
• Ensure that Mosaic casework within team is managed both timely and safely. Ensure placements made in line with statutory duties and current legislation for children and families.
• Cultivate and maintain excellent relationships with Council Foster Carers, and a wide range of Independent Foster Agencies, Residential homes, and Semi-Independent providers.
• Ensure 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.
• Contribute 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.
• Undertake site visits to a range of external placements providers including IFAs, Residential units and Semi-Independent units.

Knowledge and experience:

• Understanding of relevant legislation affecting work with Children.
• Detailed and contemporary 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.
• Good understanding of national policy and developments in relation to Childrens services.
• Good understanding of financial constraints and best value considerations
• 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
• Experience and skill in participating in multi-agency planning groups involving Children & Young people, parents & carers, advocates, and providers and negotiating plans and outcomes with staff, service users and carers advocates
• Experience and success in understanding the diverse needs of children and young people and of working with parents, families, carers and within professional networks.
• Professional social work qualification, CQSW or Diploma in Social Work (Dip SW). Or Robust equivalent professional experience with specialist children services.

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Keyskills :
BrokeragePlacementSocial CareCare Packages