Brokerage Officer - Children's services

Vibe Care are seeking for their client a Grade 8 Brokerage Officer for Children's Services.

This is a part time role is based on Oxfordshire, working 18.5 hours per week over 2.5 days.

You would need to attend the office a minimum of twice a month however you should be flexible and willing to come in the office more, depending on the needs of the service.

Job Description:

To undertake brokerage activities to identify, source and establish effective care and support arrangements for children and adults (specialising in a particular life stage), working with operational services, providers and service users.

To receive referrals for individual care and support arrangements and provide appropriate signposting, information and advice to service users and their families in order to inform their care and support decisions.

To identify options for care and support packages within the appropriate cost and service requirements, liaising with service users and their families.

Building and maintaining effective relationships with providers, social work teams, and other professionals

Customer service skills and the ability to manage challenging conversations.

Creative thinking and flexibility to find solutions for complex placement needs.

Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Understanding of key legislation and how it applies to children's placements.

Awareness of local and national priorities in children's social care.

To source the required care and support services which meet the individual's needs and preferences and negotiate price as appropriate to ensure cost-effective arrangements.

To be responsible for completing and co-ordinating the relevant contract governance documentation in a timely and accurate manner and attending relevant panel meetings, in order to support appropriate decision making in line with agreed policies and delegation.

To regularly liaise with the service user, operational services, providers and other stakeholders throughout the brokerage process so they are informed of options, progress and decisions.

To apply a person-centred approach to brokering care and support arrangements which enable the delivery of outcomes, needs and preferences for the service user, carers and their families.

To be responsible for timely, accurate and robust data recording, documentation and administration for individual care and support arrangements using the relevant ICT systems

To enable, build and maintain effective working relationships with individual suppliers and the wider market, supporting commissioning colleagues in market shaping and development.

To enable, build and maintain effective working relationships with operational services, providing advice and quality assurance, so that care and support arrangements deliver outcomes, quality and value.

To comply and maintain good knowledge of legislation, government guidance and policies relevant to children and adults requiring care and support packages (specialising in a life stage).

To ensure that children and vulnerable adults are safeguarded at all times and in line with current legislation, and where appropriate to report areas of concern.

To enable innovation, creativity and continuous improvement in care and support arrangements, as well as wider commissioning, procurement and contract management, by working with suppliers and operational services.

To contribute to other commissioning activities as required to support a joined-up approach to commissioning, procurement and contract management of Health, Education and Social Care services.

Relevant Experience:

Previous experience in a brokerage, commissioning, or placement-finding role (children's or adults' services).

Experience with working directly with children, families, or vulnerable groups.

Ability to liaise with multi-disciplinary teams and external providers.

Previous roles in customer service, social care, or health settings would be an advantage

Ability to negotiate in order for securing placements and managing provider relationships

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to tailor messages to different audiences (e.g., social workers, providers, families).

Ability to manage multiple cases, prioritise tasks, and work to tight deadlines, often under pressure.

Experience in managing complex caseloads and maintaining accurate records.

Good understanding of Children's social care

Awareness of SEND provision

Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Teams, SharePoint, etc.), data analysis, and using placement management systems (e.g., CONTROCC).

Ability to create dashboards, analyse KPIs, and use spreadsheets for tracking and reporting

Vibe Recruit is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.