Senior Practitioner - Brokerage

Senior Practitioner - Brokerage Apply Now

Job Number

HCC28025

Location

Stevenage

Directorate

Childrens Services

Salary Range

£41,511 progressing to £45,718 pa plus MEP

Contract Type

Permanent

Full Time/Part Time

Full Time

Closing date

08-Jun-2025

Job Title: Senior Practitioner - Brokerage
Starting Salary: £41,511 plus £6,243 Market Enhancement Pay, progressing to £45,718 plus £6,084 Market Enhancement Pay - per annum - pay award pending
Hours: 37.0
Location: Stevenage
Contract Type: Permanent
Directorate: Childrens Services

Join Our Team and Make a Difference in Children's Lives

Hertfordshire County Council is looking for a Senior Practitioner to join our team, ensuring that looked-after children and children in need are matched with the right placement resources to support their wellbeing and development.

About the team

The Brokerage Accommodation Team plays a vital role in securing safe, appropriate, and high-quality placements for children, while ensuring the efficient use of resources. Working collaboratively with internal and external partners, the team maintains strategic oversight of placements, develops procurement systems, and monitors placement quality to achieve the best outcomes.

About the role

As a Senior Practitioner, you will provide leadership and management to a team ensuring the smooth operation of placement services. Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading staff recruitment, development, and performance monitoring to support service objectives.
• Overseeing placement systems, ensuring quality and efficiency.
• Taking departmental leadership on key functions such as strategic placement planning, procurement of external placements, and monitoring provider performance.
• Supporting placement planning by identifying appropriate placements for children with complex needs.
• Negotiating placements that align with the child’s needs and financial efficiency.
• Chairing panels and decision-making meetings.
• Maintaining electronic records and contributing to service development.

About you

The following are essential to this role:

Qualifications:

• Qualified Social Worker with current Social Work England registration.

Leadership & Management:

• Strong leadership and management skills, with the ability to inspire and guide a team.
• Proven ability to lead and motivate staff while driving effective service change and development.

Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills:

• Ability to interpret and utilize a range of data and information to inform decision-making.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, with a strategic and solution-focused approach.

Communication & Negotiation:

• Outstanding oral and written communication skills, including experience in chairing meetings and producing high-quality reports.
• Strong negotiation skills, ensuring effective collaboration and resolution of complex issues.

Experience & Expertise:

• Demonstrated experience in staff management, including performance oversight and development.
• Proven ability to manage and monitor large budgets, with oversight of financial and IT systems.
• Extensive experience working directly with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience working in a multi-professional setting, fostering collaboration across disciplines.
• Knowledge or experience of contract regulations, ensuring compliance and efficiency.
• Ability to produce management reports by effectively analysing and synthesizing data from various sources.

It is not essential to drive, however having a driving licence and access to a vehicle is preferable due to the nature of the role and occasional requirement to travel to different locations across Hertfordshire.

At Hertfordshire County Council, we value our team and strive to create an inclusive and supportive environment. Alongside continuous learning opportunities, we offer a range of benefits, including flexible working arrangements, career progression, and the chance to make a meaningful impact on children's lives.

If you’re passionate about securing the best outcomes for looked-after children and want to be part of a dynamic team, we’d love to hear from you!

This job role is within the Health and Social Care Services, level HSC11 job profile. Please locate this via:

Job profiles - Health and social care

To hear more about this opportunity please contact Vicky.Chalkley@hertfordshire.gov.uk or an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: 17th and 19th June

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Additional information

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

Driving required
You’ll need to have the ability to drive and/or travel around Hertfordshire, either using your own mode of transport or a company car to travel to other locations.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.