Fostering Placements Officer
As a Placements Officer, you will play a key role in identifying and securing high-quality placements for Children in Care, ensuring their individual needs and wellbeing remain at the heart of every decision. You will balance achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people with delivering services that represent best value.
Working as part of a dedicated Placements Team, you will collaborate closely with social workers, foster carers, providers, and partner agencies to coordinate suitably matched placements and services. You will provide professional advice and information, helping to ensure children and young people are placed in environments that best support their safety, stability, and long-term development.
You will be responsible for identifying, matching, negotiating, and arranging appropriate placements and support services, ensuring they meet the assessed needs of children, young people, and their families. Through effective partnership working and a commitment to continuous improvement, you will help secure positive outcomes while ensuring the efficient use of resources within a Best Value framework.
This is a rewarding opportunity for an organised and proactive professional who is passionate about making a difference in the lives of children and young people.
We have been rated as ‘Good’ by Ofsted, following a 2023 inspection. This is a fantastic achievement for Birmingham Children's Trust, with many positive highlights focusing on areas including the quality of staff leadership, partnership working, safeguarding and corporate parenting.
Please note that this role requires participation in a duty system. This role is hybrid working, with a requirement to be office based when required in Birmingham, UK so you must have the correct right-to-work documents to work in the UK. Sadly, we do not support those who require sponsorship or on a VISA.
About You:
In this role you will:•Have responsibility for managing and organising a caseload of children who require planned & emergency placements into our fostering service.
•Find foster homes for our children by building relationships with our foster carers and supporting them to be matched with our children.
•Work closely with our Placements team and other Trust partners.
•Support maximising utilisation of our foster homes to ensure our children can be placed locally, near to their schools and communities.
•Be familiar with, and can work within the legislation and guidance governing the placements of children in care, preferably as a social worker, residential worker or in a previous safeguarding role
•Need to be proficient in the use of IT, be able to interrogate multiple applications, able to multi-task and work under pressure.
•Be required to maintain effective and concise case recording and update various information systems, relating to placements.
•Have experience with the Trust’s operating systems – Eclipse and Charms would be beneficial.
•Have experience of working within or a connection with Fostering would be desirable.
Additional Information
Interview date: To be confirmed
Onboarding Process: Please note as part of our onboarding process, the successful candidate will be required undergo a series of background checks with Experian including Experian DBS, Experian Right to Work, and Digital ID verification. These are essential pre-employment requirements.
Our Benefits:
•A generous annual leave package of 30 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days after 5 years of service and 35 days after 10 years of service.
•Free on-site parking at our offices on One Avenue Road (Aston) and Lifford House (Stirchley). We also provide onsite electric car charging ports which are free to use!
•Full access to our amazing internal employee benefits scheme including, Occupational Health services, Rewards Schemes, Benefits discounts (including the Blue Light Card), Health & Fitness and Personal Wellbeing support and much more!
•Flexible and hybrid working policy - we are well adapted to a hybrid model of working which includes a combination of time spent in the office and at home and we offer a variety of working patterns.
•Pension Scheme - You will receive a generous local government career average pension scheme in line with the local government pension scheme. Please contact Laura Jarrett for further information about this role via Laura.Jarrett@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk
Benefits
Help us to change children and young people’s lives!
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to making a positive impact on the lives of over 10,000 children and young people in our city every day. Our mission is to support the most disadvantaged children and young people in Birmingham, ensuring they are safe, happy, and healthy.
Why Join Us?
- Impactful Work - be part of a team that makes a real difference in the lives of the city’s most vulnerable children.
- Supportive Environment - enjoy a supportive and collaborative work culture where your contributions are valued.
- Career Development - benefit from tailored development programs, supportive supervision, and a range of learning opportunities to enhance your skills and advance your career.
- Generous Benefits - take advantage of our competitive reward package including generous leave allowance, Local Government pension scheme, and additional benefits.
Our Values
We approach our work with care and compassion, actively listening to the needs of the children and young people we serve. We involve them in the decisions that affect their lives, ensuring their voices are heard and respected.
We are committed to using our resources wisely, ensuring that every penny is spent where it counts the most. We foster collaboration among schools, health professionals, and the police, working together to create a supportive network for our young people.
We believe that when we work as one cohesive team, the children and young people of Birmingham are more likely to thrive. Our unified approach ensures that we provide the best possible support and opportunities for their growth and development.
Join us and together, we can create a brighter future for all.
Safeguarding
At Birmingham Children’s Trust, we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
Depending on the role, you may be asked to undergo the appropriate level of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess your suitability for working with children and young people.
The level of check (Standard, Enhanced, or Enhanced with Barred List) is determined based on the specific responsibilities of the role and the level of contact with children and young people.
We are committed to the fair treatment of all applicants, including those with criminal records. Having a criminal record will not necessarily bar an individual from working with us. This will depend on the nature of the position and the circumstances and background of the offence.
Please note that we reserve the right to close the job early should we reach the required number of applications, therefore please ensure you submit your application and supporting statement early to avoid any disappointment.Salary range
- £35,412 - £44,075 per year