Unqualified Senior Broker LBS-011

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 / changeorientation / confidence / Displays initiative, can-do attitude