Child & Family Worker

Overview

We currently have an opportunity within the CYP Placements Team.  This is a small and extremely busy team which sources placements for children and young people for Children’s Social Care, often in emergency circumstances. Although you will not have direct contact with children and young people, you will be an advocate for children and young people in ensuring that the best possible placements are sourced.

The successful applicant will be responsible for taking referrals to place children into care.  Referrals will be for new placements or for change of placements in residential, semi-independent and foster care settings.  You will work closely with social work and commissioning colleagues. We are looking for someone who is confident and proactive, pays attention to detail, able to meet deadlines and has strong negotiating skills.

This is a Range 5 C&F role:

• Working in the Placements team you will be responsible for taking referrals to place children in to care. Referrals will be for new placements or for change of placements. 
• You are able to pay attention to detail as well as being able to work methodically, respond well to pressure and be flexible with your time to ensure that all tasks and actions are completed within the required timeframes
• You will source the best placement for children/young people, ensuring provisions meets the needs of the child/young person whilst providing value for money
• You will be able to support with complex placements and source a range of placement options
• Liaising with the referring social worker and stakeholders
• You will have the ability to use your initiative and be proactive whilst covering duty tasks
• You will have experience in handling finance queries or invoices
• You will have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to negotiate and persuade

About us

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. Not only will you be an integral part of the unique and exciting transition through the unitary process, you will also be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

About the role

The successful applicant will be responsible for sourcing the best possible placement for children and young people, ensuring that placement settings meet their needs whilst providing best value for money.

 This role will involve supporting with complex placements and source a range of placement options.

About you

We would welcome applications from applicants who can evidence:

• Demonstrate a high level of attention to detail as well as being able to work methodically
• Respond well to pressure and be flexible with your time to ensure that all tasks and actions are completed within the required timeframes
• Possess excellent communication and negotiation skills
• Advocate for the child/young person through reading documents, referrals and case discussions
• Build relationships with providers to ensure you can source the most suitable placements
• Are comfortable using your own initiative and are proactive in your approach
• Confident when speaking to professionals
• Solution focussed

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Other information

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact NAME at EMAIL

Closing date: XXX

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

 

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/