Unqualified Senior Broker LBS-011

Job Description

Job Category : Social & Health Care Non-Qualified
Location : Southwark Council
Hours Per Week : 36.00
Start Date : Immediate Start
Start Time :09:00
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £25.90
Please ensure you have significant experience as a broker – particularly in children’s services.

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
(IFAs), and will ensure that senior managers are alerted to any risks or threats in relation to sufficiency or challenges finding the right placement for our children

Working with the Access To Resources Team and the leadership, you will deliver a responsive and efficient service alongside the Fostering Service and ensure that all parties
involved in the referral and placement process are kept fully informed when placements are made,
and that our children’s views are taken into account.

You will undertake the sourcing and negotiation of suitable placements, and to contribute information about the market to help maintain the quality of services.

You will be responsible for keeping accurate records and reporting on
placement and financial activities by updating individual case notes on Mosaic, attending supervision and fulfilling all of your duties and responsibilities as required

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

With the team you will 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.

You will be expected to 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.

Work proactively and helpfully with Social Work teams to ensure referrals are of a good standard and where improvements are necessary you will take responsibility for supporting the team to improve the referral

You will maintain case records and management information on appropriate systems, ensuring that case files
are organised and up to date

As a senior broker you will 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.

Knowledge, including educational qualifications:
Essential
or
Desirable

How
assessed
Must hold a recognised social work qualification or equivalent child care
equivalent qualification

Knowledge of the placement needs of looked after children
A strong interest in promoting permanence and placement stability
Knowledge of safeguarding procedures and key fostering and residential
legislation, guidance and National Minimum Standards

Knowledge of roles and responsibilities of key children’s agencies
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