Placement Brokerage Officer

What will you be doing?

 In this varied and rewarding role, you'll be at the centre of placement commissioning activity, managing referrals and identifying the most suitable placement options based on individual needs, outcomes and available resources. 

You will: 

• Source, negotiate and review placements and support packages for Looked After Children and Care Leavers. 
• Manage placement referrals, identifying the most appropriate solutions to meet individual needs. 
• Build effective relationships with social workers, providers and partner agencies to secure positive outcomes. 
• Quality assure referral information and maintain accurate placement and financial records. 
• Attend meetings and provide professional advice to support placement planning and decision-making. 
• Monitor placement quality, challenge where necessary and drive continuous service improvement. 
• Ensure all placement activity complies with legislation, safeguarding requirements and commissioning procedures.

No two days are the same, making this an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys problem-solving, collaborative working and achieving positive outcomes in a dynamic environment. 

  We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.

About you

 You'll be a confident and organised professional with experience of working within children's social care or a related setting. You'll understand the importance of finding the right support for vulnerable children and young people and be motivated by the positive impact this can have on their lives. 

We're looking for someone who can demonstrate: 

Experience of working within Children's Social Care, including knowledge of services for Looked After Children. 

An understanding of relevant legislation, regulations and placement provision within children's services. 

Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders. 

Excellent negotiation skills and the confidence to challenge professionally when needed. 

The ability to manage competing priorities, work under pressure and respond effectively to changing demands. 

Strong organisational skills and attention to detail, particularly when reviewing and quality assuring information. 

Experience of working collaboratively across agencies and developing effective professional networks. 

The ability to maintain accurate records and work confidently with IT systems including Microsoft Office applications. 

A commitment to safeguarding, equality, inclusion and achieving the best outcomes for children and young people. 

When applying please ensure your supporting statement details how you fulfil the essential criteria set out in the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting. You will need to provide a full employment history including any gaps since leaving full time education

Our benefits

We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.

We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:

• 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
• Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
• A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
• Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
• Subsidised town centre car parking scheme

About us

At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of everything we do. Every decision we make and every action we take is guided by our commitment to delivering high-quality services that make a lasting difference to the lives of children, young people and families across Northamptonshire.

We know that our people are our greatest strength. Our workforce is at the centre of our success, and we are committed to creating an environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to do the best job of their lives every day. We foster a culture built on kindness, collaboration and trust, where achievements are recognised, ideas are welcomed and innovation is encouraged.

We are proud of the positive impact we make together and delighted that our work has been recognised by Ofsted, with an Outstanding rating for Leadership and Management and Good ratings across Help and Protection, Children in Care and Care Leavers.

At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation.  We are a Disability Confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers, who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.

If you are passionate about making a difference and want to be part of an ambitious, supportive and forward-thinking organisation, Northamptonshire Children’s Trust could be the place for you.

Supporting Children – A Career That Matters