Senior Placements Officer – Children's Placement Service
Supporting Safe, Effective and Quality Placement Solutions for Children and Young People
Birmingham City Council is seeking a dedicated Senior Placements Officer to support the operational management, coordination and quality assurance of placements for children and young people.
This role acts as the day-to-day Placement Duty Manager within the Children's Placement Service, ensuring placement referrals are effectively managed, suitable placements are identified, and decisions support the safety, welfare and best outcomes for children.
Job Purpose:
- Act as the main operational contact for the Children's Placement Service duty function
- Manage daily placement activity and ensure referrals are reviewed and progressed effectively
- Quality assure placement referrals received from Social Work teams
- Support the identification of suitable fostering, supported accommodation and residential placements
- Ensure placements meet assessed needs, safeguarding requirements and provide value for money
- Contribute to commissioning, market management and service improvement activities
- Promote the voice, needs and outcomes of the child throughout placement decisions
Key Responsibilities: Placement Coordination
- Manage the daily placement duty function and coordinate placement activity
- Receive, review and quality assure placement referrals from Children's Social Care teams
- Allocate referrals across the placement team based on workloads, priorities and service demand
- Support colleagues with placement discussions, problem-solving and decision-making
- Work closely with Social Workers to identify appropriate fostering, residential and supported accommodation placements
- Oversee placement brokerage activity to ensure timely and suitable placement solutions
- Monitor placement availability, market capacity and emerging placement pressures
- Ensure placement decisions align with children's care plans and assessed needs
Commissioning, Quality Assurance & Service Improvement:
- Contribute to commissioning activities and placement market management
- Support the development and maintenance of high-quality placement provision
- Produce reports, analyse placement data and provide information to support decision-making
- Contribute to performance monitoring, quality assurance and service review activities
- Support complaints handling, audits and improvement initiatives where required
- Ensure statutory requirements, policies and governance standards are maintained
Communication & Collaboration:
- Build effective working relationships with Social Workers, internal teams, placement providers and partner organisations
- Provide advice and operational support to colleagues during live placement situations
- Maintain accurate records and placement information systems
- Promote effective communication and information sharing across relevant services
- Work collaboratively to achieve positive outcomes for children and young people
Safeguarding & Compliance:
- Ensure placement activity complies with safeguarding principles, legislation and council policies
- Promote safe and suitable placements that protect children's welfare
- Support monitoring of placement quality, standards and service performance
- Maintain confidentiality and comply with data protection and information governance requirements
- Escalate safeguarding concerns appropriately and contribute to risk management processes
Corporate Responsibilities:
All employees are expected to:
- Work collaboratively to achieve service objectives
- Comply with Data Protection legislation and Information Security policies
- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in all areas of work
- Follow Health & Safety legislation and safe working practices
- Undertake mandatory training and participate in professional development
- Support continuous improvement and effective service delivery
- Maintain professional standards, confidentiality and accountability
Essential Skills & Experience:
- Previous experience working within children's placements, placement brokerage or children's home finding
- Strong knowledge of fostering, supported accommodation and residential placements for children
- Experience working closely with Children's Social Care teams
- Understanding of safeguarding, statutory frameworks and placement requirements
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment
- Strong decision-making, analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to provide advice and support during operational placement situations
- Excellent communication and partnership working skills
- Ability to quickly learn and operate new systems and processes
- Enhanced DBS clearance required
- Eligible to work in the UK with appropriate employment checks completed
Nice-to-Have Skills & Experience:
- Previous experience as a Placement Duty Manager or similar operational leadership role
- Knowledge of children's commissioning, contract management or placement market management
- Experience in performance reporting, quality assurance and service improvement
- Experience working within a Local Authority Children's Services environment
- Understanding of governance and statutory reporting requirements
Values:
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people
- Collaborative and partnership-focused working
- Compassion, respect and inclusive practice
- Professional accountability and integrity
- Commitment to safeguarding and child-centred decision-making
Additional Information:
- Immediate availability is highly desirable
- Candidates with current pre-employment clearances will be preferred
- Induction and system guidance will be provided; however, the successful candidate must become operational quickly
- This is a standalone operational role with no line management responsibilities
- Interview Date: 6 August 2026 (Online)
- Interview link will be provided once candidate email details are confirmed
Job Info:
Location: One Avenue Road, Aston, Birmingham, B6 4DU
Start Date: ASAP
Contract Duration: 3+ Months
Working Hours: 36.5 Hours Per Week
Pay Rate: PAYE: £22.11 Per Hour
Job Reference: OR108727
Job Types: Full-time, Fixed term contract
Contract length: 3 months
Pay: £22.11 per hour
Benefits:
Application question(s):
- Please describe your experience in sourcing and coordinating placements for children and young people, including fostering, residential placements, or supported accommodation.
- Are you confident analysing placement data, preparing reports, and using information to support service decisions?
- Are you able to work independently without direct line management responsibilities while contributing effectively as part of a wider team?
Experience:
- Children Looked After (CLA): 1 year (required)
- children’s placements: 1 year (required)
- placement brokerage: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
