Unqualified Senior Broker

Job Category : Social & Health Care Non-Qualified

Location : Talfourd Place, Southwark Council

Hours Per Week : 36.00

Start Date : Immediate Start

Start Time : 09:00

End Time : 17:00
Salary: £25.90

Please ensure candidates have significant experience as a broker – particularly in children’s services.

To develop and provide a flexible and high quality Placements Service with the purpose of:

improving placement choice and stability for children in care; improving the experience of

social workers, foster carers and children in identifying suitable placements; delivering the best

possible value to the Council in terms of cost and quality of placements.

To provide bespoke packages of practical support to foster carers, young people and families in

the community to maximise placement viability and stability, prevent placement breakdown and

retain foster carers. Also to identify matches between children and suitable foster carers who can

meet their emotional, educational, cultural and health needs, and who can provide stability and a

sense of belonging.

To work collaboratively to provide a service which is both relationship-based and which responds

in a timely manner within required timeframes.

This is a senior role NOT an entry level role and the pay reflects that

Ensuring our children and young people have the best possible placements that are proportionate to their assessed needs and that help them to achieve their full potential is absolutely key. You will be a very experienced, highly motivated, well organised and determined colleague who understands why we must get placements and support right for our children.

We operate in a fast paced and dynamic market place and your work style and work ethic must reflect this.

CHILDREN’s SERVICES: You will work as part of the Access To Resources Team (ART) – responding quickly to referrals from Social Work Teams seeking the right placement and support for our children and young people.

You will work with the service to identify trusted providers in Supported Accommodation, Residential care and Fostering agencies where we place our children

This is a hybrid role requiring colleagues to be in the office at least 2 days / week and up to 5 days for the week when they are on duty

You will work proactively within the Placements Team to ensure all children are placed in suitable placements, monitoring referral patterns and use of Independent Fostering Agencies

In this role you will negotiate on placement costs/support packages to ensure cost effective placements. Also ensuring

placements are agreed by authorising managers and placements contracts (IPAs) are completed in a timely manner as well as

Mosaic finances.

Once placements are agreed you will keep in touch with the providers and children building relationships and demonstrating to providers that we are investing in them

You will be expected to undertake a number of Quality Assurance visits to placements that you or team members make

You will attend a team meeting every week day at 9 A.M. to track and maintain an overview of all children waiting for placements and monitor progress on

identifying suitable carers / homes – you will be expected to proactively contribute to the discussions

Knowledge, including educational qualifications:

Essential

(E) or

Desirable

(D)

How

assessed

(S/ I/ T)

Must hold a recognised social work qualification or equivalent child care

equivalent qualification

Knowledge of the placement needs of looked after children E S

A strong interest in promoting permanence and placement stability E I

Knowledge of safeguarding procedures and key fostering and residential

legislation, guidance and National Minimum Standards E

I

Knowledge of roles and responsibilities of key children’s agencies E I

Experience:

Experience of developing and managing information systems and using

data to monitor and evaluate performance

Experience of working with foster carers and a commitment to achieving

placement stability through the development of placement support

services

Experience of interpreting performance data from a complex database to

ensure sound strategic management of the service.

Experience of working on own initiative, organise workloads, determine

priorities and meet deadlines.

Experience of financial and resource management within a social care

environment

Aptitudes, Skills & Competencies:

Ability to analyse, interpret & explain data with a focus and drive on

positive outcomes for children

Ability to motivate staff and deal effectively with any performance issues

Ability to apply work within national and local policies and procedures as

they relate to fostering, and to ensure financial accountability and

transparency

Able to be solution-focused and to work within a systemic framework

Ability to delegate and negotiate where necessary

Ability to manage change effectively

Leadership / Delegation/ influencing and negotiations/ oral

communication / written communication / analytical judgement / decision

making / planning and implementation / customer orientation / change

orientation / confidence / Displays initiative, can-do attitude