Placement Officer

Placement Officer  

Contract: Initial 3 months
Hours: 35 per week
Rate: £25 per hour (umbrella)
Location: Merton Council

Merton Council are seeking a dedicated Placement Officer to join the Corporate Parenting Service on an interim basis. This role is essential in ensuring children and young people in care are provided with safe, stable, and well-matched placements that meet their individual needs.
Key Responsibilities:

• Identify, source, and commission suitable in-house or external accommodation for looked after children.
• Carefully match placements to meet each child/young person’s health, education, cultural, ethnic, religious, and therapeutic needs.
• Screen and present placement resource options to social work teams, including placement details, rates, and package of care review dates.
• Negotiate costs with providers and commission placements with oversight from managers.
• Ensure placements comply with all regulations (Ofsted, CQC, etc.).
• Maintain accurate and timely records on the Mosaic children’s system.
• Build strong working relationships with providers, internal teams, and partner organisations.
• Manage notifications, information, and payments linked to placements.

About You:

• Experience in a Placement Officer, Brokerage, or Commissioning role within children’s services.
• Strong understanding of looked after children’s needs and corporate parenting responsibilities.
• Knowledge of Ofsted/CQC regulations.
• Confident in using systems such as Mosaic or equivalent social care systems.
• Skilled in negotiation, commissioning, and provider engagement.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.

Why Join? This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to the lives of children and young people in Merton by ensuring they are placed in the right environments to thrive.
📩 If you are an experienced Placement Officer looking for your next interim role, we’d love to hear from you!