Placement Officer x2

37 hours per week

2 positions available

Help us find the right homes for children and young people across the Isle of Wight

Are you organised, proactive and passionate about making a difference for children and young people?

We are looking for a Placements Officer to join our Finding Homes Team. This is a rewarding and fast-paced role where you will work with social workers, foster care providers, residential homes and partner organisations to source high-quality placements that meet the individual needs of children and young people in our care.

As part of the Finding Homes function, you will play a vital role in identifying suitable fostering and residential placements, ensuring referrals are processed efficiently, placements are appropriately authorised, and arrangements comply with statutory requirements and regulatory standards.

You will develop strong relationships with both in-house and external providers, supporting placement matching, monitoring placement arrangements, and ensuring children are placed in settings that can best meet their needs and deliver positive outcomes.

The role also involves supporting commissioning and procurement activity, maintaining accurate placement information, monitoring costs, and providing valuable data and intelligence to support service planning and decision-making.

This position would suit someone who enjoys problem solving, building professional relationships and working collaboratively to deliver the best outcomes for children and young people. Every day brings new challenges and opportunities to make a real difference.

What you will bring

• Experience of working within a relevant administrative, commissioning, business support, social care or placement-finding environment.
• Knowledge of Children's Services and an understanding of how placement and commissioning functions support positive outcomes for children and young people.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities, respond to urgent requests and work effectively under pressure.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to communicate sensitive and complex information clearly and professionally to a range of audiences.
• The ability to build positive working relationships with providers, social care professionals and other stakeholders.
• Good analytical and numerical skills, with a strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Experience of financial processing, monitoring costs or working with budgets.
• Confidence in using Microsoft Office applications and IT systems, including the ability to accurately record and manage information.
• Good literacy and report-writing skills, with the ability to prepare correspondence, referrals and information reports.
• An understanding of confidentiality, information governance and GDPR requirements

What we offer

At the Isle of Wight Council, we recognise that our people are our greatest asset. In return for your skills, commitment and enthusiasm, we offer:

• A rewarding role where you can make a direct contribution to improving the lives of children and young people.
• Flexible and agile working arrangements that support a healthy work-life balance.
• Opportunities for learning, professional development and career progression.
• A supportive and collaborative team environment.
• Regular supervision and support from experienced managers.
• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Generous annual leave entitlement plus public holidays.
• Access to a range of employee benefits, wellbeing support and staff discounts.
• Discounted ferry travel for eligible employees.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme and wellbeing initiatives.

Join #TeamIWC

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dedicated and passionate team committed to securing the right homes, care and support for some of the Island's most vulnerable children and young people.

If you are looking for a challenging and rewarding role where your work has a real impact every day, we would love to hear from you.

For further information or an informal discussion, please contact Simon Dennis at simon.dennis@iow.gov.uk

Join #TeamIWC and you'll receive our staff benefits package, including:

• Annual leave entitlement of 32 days p/a PLUS public holidays!
• Local Government pension scheme
• Discounted Solent ferry travel
• Island bus network discount
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff parking permit scheme
• Discounted island sports & leisure gym membership
• National and local discounts & benefits schemes
• Relocation scheme of up to £8,000 may be available for some roles (subject to criteria)
• Travel allowance may be available if commuting from the mainland (subject to criteria)

To discover more about our careers please visit Jobs and careers - Isle of Wight

Find out more about Our culture and environment & living on the Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight Council currently does not have a license to sponsor overseas workers.

We actively promote the diversity of our workforce, and provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees. We are an equal opportunities employer, proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community.

We are a Disability Confident employer. Along with a number of commitments, this means, providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.

The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination, and this is supported by;

unacceptable behaviour policy

employee code of conduct

The Isle of Wight Council’s Terms & Conditions of employment are available upon request. Please contact our recruitment team via adverts@iow.gov.uk if you would like to receive a copy.

The Isle of Wight Council reserve the right to close vacancies earlier than stated, if required. To ensure your application is considered, it is recommended to submit your application promptly.

Please note, appointment to a regulated role will require you to provide additional personal details, including full employment history, referee information, and consent for any required safeguarding checks, as part of the Council’s commitment to safer recruitment and compliance with regulatory requirements.

This council and its schools recruit according to the council’s Recruitment, Policy and Procedure and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share in this commitment.

For support completing your online application or for further information on how to apply, phone 01983 823134 or email callcentre@iow.gov.uk Only applications submitted online by the closing date will be accepted.

We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. Please revisit our job page for alternate posts that may be suitable.