Senior Referrals Officer - Fostering

SENIOR REFERRALS OFFICER – FOSTERING

Basic Salary: £29,000 per annum

Hours: 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday

Contract: Full-Time, Permanent

Location: Office Based - Sittingbourne, Kent

Benefits:  30 days’ Annual Leave + Bank Holidays, Company Pension, Life Assurance x2, Employee Discount Scheme, Medical Cash Plan & Free On-Site Parking

ABOUT US

We are Polaris, one of the UK’s largest leading Communities of Children’s Service providers.

Within the Community, we have independent Fostering and Adoption Agencies who have been passionately improving the lives of young people for over 30 years, as well as Residential Children Homes, Leaving Care services, Education and bespoke Children’s Services contracts. Our nurturing community works collectively to support the very best outcomes for each and every child in our care. We’re ambitious for our children and young people, families and staff, and believe in their futures.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

As a Senior Referrals Officer, you will manage referrals received from Local Authorities for both Fostering and Residential Services and will work closely with the Head of Referrals to lead the management and coordination of the Fostering and Residential referral teams.

A Senior Referrals Officer will use key information and matching criteria to ensure that placements are carefully matched according to children’s needs. A “Referral” is a request from a Local Authority to find a suitable foster family or residential home for a child or young person who needs a safe and supportive home.

You will need to work independently, using your initiative to find innovative, practical and creative solutions to placement requests. The Senior Referrals Officer is the first point of contact between Local Authorities, Foster Families and Social Workers. You will be able to build and develop positive relationships with colleagues and communicate confidently with professionals at all levels.

In addition to the core referral duties, the Senior Referrals Officer role also includes responsibility for the development and oversight of the Residential Referrals Service. This involves leading the management and coordination of all residential referrals, ensuring efficient intake, placement matching, and exceptional customer service while proactively developing strategies to maximise occupancy and support service growth. The role involves actively managing and improving the entire residential referral pipeline, ensuring strong performance, quality and compliance.

The Senior Referrals Officer will oversee the Residential Referrals Officer and will take responsibility for the end-to-end referral process for all residential services, including timely response and initial assessment of all enquiries from Local Authorities. They will act as the central point of contact for the residential homes within the Polaris group, matching children to vacancies based on needs and criteria, and coordinating smooth admissions and discharges.

Previous experience as a Referrals Officer would be required. Full training will be provided. You should also be able to evidence:

• Strong administration skills, with the ability to manage a high-volume shared mail Inbox, prioritise tasks, multi-task effectively and stay organised
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Strong organisational and time management skills
• Strong analytical skills
• A proactive, enthusiastic, and driven attitude
• The ability to follow regulatory Policies and Processes
• The ability to work well within a fast-paced team environment, as well as autonomously using your own initiative

Role responsibilities

• Take responsibility for Fostering and Residential vacancies, and the key lead, point of contact for named Fostering Agencies and the Residential Homes within the Polaris Community
• Oversee the monitoring and recording of fostering and residential vacancies accurately
• Engage daily with the fostering and residential Teams (by phone call or Teams video call) and attend regular meetings with the Head of Referrals, Registered Managers, Social Workers and Local Authorities.
• Oversee and develop the recording and database systems (CHARMS, Company Performance, People Planner) accordingly- Full training will be provided.
• Use the Company Performance system to track data, support vacancies / occupancy and drive company growth – Full training will be provided
• Maintain the response time of 15 minutes to match Referrals to availability in both fostering and residential services and support with offer them to the Local Authority for consideration
• Support with establishing and maintaining relationships with Local Authorities and Commissioning Teams by adopting an outward facing culture.
• Maintain and promote to the fostering and residential referral teams a solution focused attitude in overcoming barriers to matching referrals to fostering and residential Services.
• Report daily to the Head of Referrals a snapshot of any developments in the referrals pipeline, new referrals and the fostering and residential vacancies, together with any blockages to referrals which may arise.
• Support and develop the recording of successful matches and declines on the database / Excel Potential Links Spreadsheet.

Requirements

• To lead and oversee the Fostering and residential referral pipeline
• Provide line management and support to Referral Officers for fostering and residential
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with our fostering and residential services, Social Workers and Local Authorities.
• Gather, monitor and analyse referral data and trends- working towards developing these systems
• Produce regular reports for the Head of Referrals and Senior Management team
• Propose and support with the implementation of process improvements and identifying new opportunities and contributing to business planning
• Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements
• To be methodical, organised, and able to prioritise workload effectively
• To confidently liaise with Local Authority Commissioning Managers/Officers Placement Teams and Access to Resources Team and Polaris staff about matching and finances
• To be invested in Polaris Community – Referrals and the Agencies ISP, Orange Grove, Fosterplus and Clifford House Fostering and their ethos’ and cultures – and the Residential Homes within the community
• To be committed and determined to make safe, good matches in a timely manner
• Be driven to maximise Referral conversions into successful placement matches with available foster families and Residential homes (Utilisation Rates)
• Always adhering to Company Policies and Procedures
• Carry out some administrative tasks such as screening and logging of Referrals received from Local Authorities, matching and placing and completing end to end processes in the absence of the Referrals Officer.
• Be willing to undertake mandatory and ongoing Training relevant to the role
• The successful candidate will be required to complete an enhanced DBS Check, cost of which will be met by Polaris.

Our Commitment

Polaris is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.