Placement Officer - Working for Essex

About the role

Placement Officer

Permanent, Full Time

£28,220 to £33,200 Per Annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: Monday 5th May 2025 at 11.59pm

Interview Dates: 21st of May, 23rd of May and / or 28th of May at County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford, Essex. CM1 1QH.

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It’s an exciting time to join us having received our 2nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video

The Opportunity

Children and Families service is recognised as a service in which social work can develop and prosper, with a culture of collaboration, integrity and compassion; promoting development and wellbeing of children, young people and their families; protecting them from neglect and abuse. Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future.

The Placement Officer is part of a team working to identify, match and commission suitable in house or external placements, care and support packages for children and young people in care and those in need of support or accommodation. The Placement Officer will have extensive contact with children’s social workers, foster carers and other placement providers to ensure placements are identified and well matched, as well as completing the administrative processes associated with placement making.

Accountabilities

Liaise with social workers, foster carers and placement providers to identify carefully matched placements, care and support packages in accordance with the child/young person’s care plan, that considers the child/young person’s health, education, cultural, ethnic, religious and therapeutic needs.
Hold a caseload of placement finding activity, ensuring that identified placements offer the child/young person care and support in a safe and stable environment that complies with all required regulation i.e. Ofsted.
Responsible for ensuring all relevant documentation i.e. referral, risk assessment, care plan is received from the child/young person’s allocated social worker and as appropriate this is shared with the foster carer/care provider.
Complete agreed administrative processes, notifications and recordings on placements being made.
Build strong working relationships across the Council, providers, members of other statutory and organisations and voluntary agencies.
To be part of a Placement Officer duty rota to respond to same day and planned placement referral requests. To attend assigned Quadrant as part of Quadrant Linking

The Experience You Will Bring

Educated to RQF level 3 (GCSE) or equivalent by experience.
Evidence of development within role and knowledge in the relevant professional area.
Experience of working in a supportive relationship with children, young people, carers and families.
An awareness of problems and issues that can impact on children and families e.g. trauma, neglect, poverty, bereavement, disability.
Ability to assess and match children and young people’s needs to appropriate placements, understanding and using risk assessments in placement finding activity, in consultation with senior staff within the Placement Service.
Experience of collaborating with other professionals and agencies for the benefit of children/young people.
Competence in the use of all forms of IT and the ability to communicate clearly, both written and verbal.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

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