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Temporary Placement Officer – Children’s Services Reference no: Richmond 6710-1 Pay rate: £16.56 per hour PAYE Role Length: This opening assignment is for 12 weeks Enhanced DBS required for this role Working outside normal office hours may be required on occasions This role is to undertake placement searches and commission internal and external placement for children and young people aged 0-18 years. To cover placement duty dealing with requests for emergency placement, short term placement and also long term placements. Also 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 the most suitable placements for the children and young people are identified. To ensure the effective delivery of services which are on time, and within budget and to work with children, young people, parents and carers, bringing together various agencies and implementing the statutory duties and responsibilities in accordance with all relevant legislative requirements, policies and procedures and agreed performance targets. Key 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 the Council fulfils its obligations to implement the UN Convention 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 Children’s 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.

“Role Requirements” – to give yourself the maximum chance of success please try and ensure your CV addresses the following essential criteria: Qualifications:

• Professional social work qualification, CQSW or Diploma in Social Work (Dip SW) OR robust equivalent professional experience with specialist children services.

Experience:

• 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.
• At least one year experience of working at a similar grade within a similar role/team.
• Experience and skill in participating in multi agency planning groups involving children and young people, parents and carers, advocates and providers and negotiating plans and outcomes with staff, service users and carer’s 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.
• Significant experience of using standard IT packages, including case management systems.
• Experience of partnership working and collaboration.
• Experience of getting best value and getting clear financial information from providers.

Knowledge:

• 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 and 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 Children’s services.
• Good understanding of financial constraints and best value considerations.

Skills:

• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload, to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Good oral, written and analytical skills.
• Ability to develop successful relationships with a range of statutory and voluntary stakeholders.
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload, to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively with other agencies and organisations.
• Ability to negotiate outcomes and strategies between stakeholders who have conflicting priorities.
• Strong IT skills using Microsoft packages or equivalent (e.g. G Suite).

NB: Please feel free to apply to us direct via [email protected] by quoting the job reference and job title exactly. SEE DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS AD. If you have previously applied to one of our vacancies and have already sent the required supporting documentation to us, please make this clear when you re-apply as this will help speed up your application. To help speed up the process of uploading your CV to the client we would suggest that you send us your CV in Word format (or equivalent) if possible, rather than as a PDF. If you are successful in securing this role, please note that for the entire duration of this contract, regardless of extension you will be working this role at the PAYE rate that has been advertised. For absolute clarity, we only work on a PAYE basis, rather than entertaining umbrella pay terms, we do not offer Ltd/umbrella or outside IR35 rates. If you wish to understand PAYE vs Umbrella more, please let us know and we can send you some additional information for clarity.
Please quote the Job Title & Vacancy Reference No. in your application, or we will be unable to match your CV to the role being applied for.

Other “Essential Requirements” – Please check to ensure that your CV addresses the following items: Other preferable/desirable details to include on your CV, if applicable: SC If you would prefer to send a CV straight to us rather than by way of an on-line application, you are very welcome to do so via [email protected] but please quote both the job reference and job title exactly as they appear below:

Job Ref: Wandsworth 6710-1

Anticipated Length of Assignment: Unless otherwise stated (we do carry the occasional permanent vacancy) all of our roles are technically temporary, though opening assignments can be and often are, extended by clients on a longer term basis and can sometimes become permanent. Please do try to resist contacting us with requests for progress updates. We really do read every CV sent to us. All applications will be acknowledged by a human, not a robot, provided the job remains live and provided your CV meets the “Essential Requirements” listed. Please note that we do our level best to take down ads as soon as roles have been filled. We are not in the business of harvesting CVs. Important: We will interpret your application as being permission to submit your CV to this role (with the right to represent you) unless you advise us to the contrary.