Location: Bedford
Contract: Initial 3 months
Hours: 37 per week
Pay Rate: £31.77 per hour (Umbrella) | £25.00 per hour (PAYE exclusive)
Bedford Borough Council is seeking an experienced and highly organised Placement Officer to join our Children’s Services team on an initial 3-month contract.
This is a key role within a high-profile area of children’s social care, responsible for sourcing, securing, and managing high-quality placements for children looked after and care leavers, including those with complex and high-level needs.
You will play a vital role in ensuring children and young people are placed in safe, suitable, and well-matched placements, while working collaboratively with internal teams and external providers to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead on searching for, sourcing, and securing suitable placements for children looked after and care leavers, including complex cases
Manage placement searches from referral through to placement confirmation
Quality assure placement referral forms and provider documentation, ensuring regulatory compliance
Verify provider registration and highlight any compliance concerns
Negotiate placement packages, terms, and costs with external providers
Work closely with social work teams, particularly fostering services, to ensure internal options are fully explored
Manage and maintain placement databases, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information
Develop and improve systems for effective data use across the wider council
Contribute to commissioning activity including tendering, framework development, evaluation, and monitoring
Produce and analyse management information, financial data, and performance reports
Attend placement/resource panels and contribute to decision-making processes
Manage respite placement requests for in-house foster carers
Oversee payment processes to external providers and respond to financial queries
Ensure clear, professional, and confidential communication with all stakeholders
About You:
We are looking for a proactive and detail-focused professional who can thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. You will ideally have:
Experience in placement commissioning, brokerage, or children’s social care placements
Strong knowledge of children looked after systems and care leaver pathways
Experience working with external providers, fostering services, or social work teams
Confidence in negotiation, costing, and contract/package management
Strong analytical skills with experience handling data, reporting, and management information systems
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
A high level of accuracy, compliance awareness, and attention to detail
Strong communication skills, with the ability to handle sensitive information with professionalism and discretion
This is an excellent opportunity to join a busy and impactful children’s services team, supporting some of the most vulnerable children and young people in the local authority system.
If you are interested, please apply with your CV or contact us for further details
Salary description
£31.77 - £31.77 per hour