Unqualified Senior Broker

Description:

3 months contract with a Local Authority

Job Summary:

·        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.

·        Children's Services: To work as part of the Access To Resources Team - responding quickly to referrals from Social Work Teams seeking the right placement and support for our children and young people.

Key Duties/Accountabilities:

·        Work proactively within the Placements Team to ensure all children are placed in suitable placements, monitoring referral patterns and use of Independent Fostering Agencies (IFAs), and ensure that senior managers are alerted to any risks or threats in relation to sufficiency.

·        Help develop and manage systems that track all referrals, placements, placement moves and endings, and ensure that high quality management information is available to assist in the planning and review of the service.

·        Deliver a responsive and efficient service alongside the Fostering Service: ensure that all parties involved in the referral and placement process are kept fully informed when placements are made, and that children’s views are taken into account.

·        Undertake the sourcing and negotiation of suitable placements, and to contribute information about the market for health to maintain the quality of services. To keep accurate records and reporting on placement and financial activities by updating individual case notes on Mosaic.

·        Negotiate on placement costs/support packages to ensure cost effective placements. Also ensuring placements are agreed and placements contracts (IPAs) are completed in a timely manner as well as Mosaic finances.

·        Help put systems in place to ensure foster carers and providers are paid promptly and that any additional or special payments are processed in a fair and transparent way, in keeping with the operating principles of the Fostering Payment Policy.

·        Track and maintain an overview of all children waiting for placements and monitor progress on identifying suitable carers. Alert senior managers to any corporate threat or risks relating to the council’s sufficiency strategy.

·        Ensure that information systems are fit for purpose and that high quality management information can be produced for a range of indicators. Use management information to inform planning and reviewing the sufficiency strategy.

·        Ensure the best use is made of Southwark’s fostering resources, keeping use of external placements to a minimum and promoting the use of Friends and Family Placements as far as possible.

·        Keep abreast of local and national changes to best practice when securing placement’s options for children and young people including legislative changes and Ofsted guidance.

·        Provide placement briefings to the Team Manager and to senior management when requested.

·        Provide professional guidance, support and developmental opportunities with less experienced or knowledgeable social work colleagues, including taking the role of practice educator with social work students.

·        Maintain case records and management information on appropriate systems, ensuring that case files are organised and up to date.

·        Work with a degree of independence without the need for close supervision, whilst recognising when and how to seek advice from a range of sources. Use supervision to identify strategies to build professional resilience and balance the potential for bias in decision-making.

·        Contribute experience and expertise to group and individual supervision processes, to support evidence-informed judgements in complex cases.

Essential Experience Required:

·        Experience working as a Broker is essential.

·        Experience with placement needs of looked after children is essential.

·        Experience with safeguarding procedures and key fostering and residential legislation, key children's agencies, guidance and National Minimum Standards is essential.

Essential Qualifications Required:

·        A recognised social work qualification or equivalent child care equivalent qualification is essential.

Additional information to note:

·        Working Hours: 36 hours per week.

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

The closing date for this position is 7th April 2024