Job Overview

Job Purpose

The Placement and Sufficiency Manager will review, source and negotiate children’s placements by utilising current on island Children’s Services provisions or working with the UK local authority in collaboration to deliver good quality placements in a timely manner, which are cost effective and fulfil our ambitions for Children in Care and Care Leavers to live in loving and stable homes that provide care, protection and stability.

The role supports the wider service to deliver the statutory requirements for placements of young people in line with legislation.

Statutory Responsibilities

Active engagement, participation and compliance with any other statutory responsibilities applicable to the role, as amended from time to time.

Job Specific Outcomes 1 of 2

To lead the development of internal processes for UK placements to ensure requests for place-ments are sourced in a timely way. To support coordination with any commissioning/ approved provider framework arrangements.

Ensure robust oversight mechanisms to ensure high quality stability and effectiveness of all place-ments ensuring these are good quality, good value and delivering good quality services that meet the needs of the child.

To work collaboratively with social work teams to ensure timely referrals are of good quality, and provide sharing of information to inform matching for placements requests for our most vulnerable children.

Provide a clear point of coordination and escalation for the UK Local authority collaboration ar-rangements for placement identification and procurement. Including the sign off and agreement of placements, payments to placement providers and provision of Power BI placement reports.

When required, lead contract discussions and negotiations with providers off island to ensure that services can be procured and delivered to agreed time, cost and quality constraints and ensure that service improvement is an integral element of commissioned services. Ensure that the right child has access to the right services at the right time, place and cost.

Describe complex service and individual placement needs, record these in service specifications that stand up to scrutiny, and direct tender processes that comply with organisational policies and procedures.

To proactively monitor Children in Care and Care Leaver placements ensuring good care planning and effective management of the budget and the identification of savings/cost reductions for Gov-ernment of Jersey.

Job Specific Outcomes 2 of 2

To ensure robust oversight of the quality assurance of arrangements for UK placements, including those through the UK local authority collaboration. Provide support to implement the placement quality framework for Children in Care and Care Leaver placements.

To be responsible for the tracking of performance against targets and ensure the relationship between activity cost and performance is explicit within the contracting activity.

Act as the subject matter expert within Children’s Services for placement commissioning and provide technical advice to support senior stakeholders across the whole education, health and care system in developing effective contractual agreements.

To develop and implement effective processes and procedures, including robust data manage-ment systems to ensure high standards of service delivery and value for money for all provision.

To support the Director of Children’s Services in managing the provider market to ensure suffi-ciency of provision to meet need and safeguarding standards.

To support the analysis of need across the service and planning for sufficiency of placements for children.

To ensure all activity for sourcing and provision of placements is carried out in accordance with legislation, national guidelines, Health and Government of Jersey Public Finance Manual policy and procedures, and is applied using the principles of good practice including ethics and probity and take account of safeguarding policy and standards.

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to degree level or a qualification in relevant subject matter e.g. Masters in Charter Institute of Purchasing and Supply (MCIPS or equivalent qualification) or can demonstrate extensive experience in managing placement activity.

Desirable

A qualification in Management or Social Care would be beneficial but is also not essential if the individual has extensive experience in children’s services or extensive management experience. A qualification in social work or similar.

Knowledge

Essential

Strong working knowledge and direct experience of commissioning for education, health or care services and contracting and the operational mechanisms that underpin them.

Demonstrable evidence of continued professional development.

Desirable

Knowledge of Government of Jersey financial processes and Financial Directions.

Technical Work Based Skills

Essential

Numerical skills and the ability to produce accurate management information.

Contract and financial management, planning and reporting skills.

Ability to manage performance and adequately assess and manage risk.

Knowledge of software packages such as Microsoft Office.

Must have an eye for detail, the ability to problem solve, to process work with accuracy and prioritise tasks.

Desirable

Ability to interpret local and national policy and guidelines.

A full driving licence for travel to and from meetings with external partners, where necessary.

General skills / attributes

Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills with ability to balance a number of competing priorities including daily operational aspects of the role.

Must have an eye for detail, the ability to problem solve, to process work with accuracy and prioritise tasks.

Good report writing skills, including the ability to simplify and explain complex data (both qualitative and quantitative).

Excellent communication, negotiation, consultation and influencing skills tailored to meet the needs of a wide range of audiences and stakeholders.

This will include engaging with providers, service users, carers, commissioners and social workers in the development of plans and care packages; through focused provider forums, questionnaires or attendance at established provider groups.

Ability to build and maintain supportive and empathic relationships that deliver stakeholder support and commitment to a course of action.

Able to maintain a high level of self-motivation, with the capacity to reflect upon and review own effectiveness and engage in a process of continuing professional development.

Ability to manage performance and adequately assess and manage risk. Knowledge of software packages such as Microsoft Office.

Experience

Essential

Experience of commissioning, particularly sourcing and provision of children’s placements. Direct experience of negotiating placement contracts and commercial arrangements.

Demonstrable experience in working effectively with providers to develop and deliver services for service users in relevant specialist area of commissioning.

Experience of working in a senior position in a local authority, ideally for Children in Care, with a proven and successful track record in delivering improved outcomes, savings and the effective management of risk.

Experience of dealing with difficult issues that may arise from time to time with Providers, social workers, young people and staff in a calm and productive way and ability to resolve complex issues and be proactive in identifying solutions in a sensitive manner.

Desirable

Experience of developing a provider market.