Brokerage Officer | Access to Resources Team (ART)

| Salary £29071 - £33119, Per annum | Permanent,  Full Time,  37 hours per week | Pro Rata

Brokerage Officer

Join Lancashire County Council's Access to Resources Team (ART)

The Access to Resources Team (ART) plays a vital role in securing high-quality placements for Lancashire's children and young people. Working within Start Well, Policy, Commissioning and Children's Health, ART is responsible for sourcing best-value placements, managing provider relationships, and delivering data and market intelligence to help shape services and meet the needs of children in care.

Our team acts as the link between Children's Social Care and placement providers, ensuring children and young people are placed in the right environment, at the right time, and with the right support to achieve the best possible outcomes.

About the Team

The Access to Resources Team is responsible for:

• Sourcing fostering, residential, supported accommodation and independent living placements.
• Acting as the brokerage function between Children's Social Care professionals and placement providers.
• Identifying creative solutions for complex placement requirements.
• Securing high-quality, value-for-money placements for children and young people.
• Providing market knowledge and expertise to support professionals and managers across Children's Services.
• Monitoring and managing provider performance to ensure quality, compliance and best value.
• Analysing data and trends to support strategic planning and Lancashire's sufficiency duty.
• Providing intelligence to inform commissioning activity and shape the future placement market.

About the Role

We are looking to appoint a Brokerage Officer to join our dedicated and supportive team.

This is a fast-paced and rewarding role where you will work closely with Children's Social Care colleagues and external providers to source and secure suitable placements for vulnerable children and young people.

Key responsibilities include:

• Working with Children's Social Care teams and providers to secure fostering, residential, supported accommodation and independent living placements.
• Reviewing and quality assuring placement requests to ensure they are anonymised, accurate, balanced and up to date.
• Ensuring all placement searches are conducted in line with agreed policies and processes.
• Prioritising placement searches according to urgency and need.
• Liaising with providers to maximise placement opportunities and following up where offers have not been received.
• Developing creative approaches to secure placements for children with complex needs.
• Maintaining accurate records and ensuring placement activity is documented appropriately.
• Supporting effective communication between Children's Social Care and providers throughout the placement process.

About You

We are looking for someone who is organised, resilient and solution-focused, with a genuine commitment to improving outcomes for children and young people.

You will demonstrate:

• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel and LCS.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• The ability to work effectively with a range of stakeholders, including social care professionals and providers.
• Strong problem-solving and creative thinking skills.
• Effective negotiation skills to achieve positive placement outcomes.
• The ability to manage a busy workload and competing priorities.
• Resilience and the ability to perform well under pressure.
• The confidence to act as a key link between Children's Social Care and external providers.
• A collaborative approach and willingness to support colleagues when required.
• The ability to handle challenging situations professionally and sensitively.
• A commitment to reflective practice and continuous learning.

As part of your application, please provide a supporting statement demonstrating how your skills, experience and knowledge meet the requirements of the role.

Additional Information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Aatiqah Bhayat on 01772 532620.

This position is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Further information is available within our recruitment process.

In return, Lancashire County Council offers a comprehensive range of employee benefits, details of which can be found on the LCC Vacancies website.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date should sufficient applications be received.

Local Government Reorganisation

The Government has confirmed that local government across Lancashire will be reorganised, with the existing 15 councils being replaced by four new unitary councils covering North, South, East and West Lancashire from April 2028.

If successful, you will initially be employed by Lancashire County Council. Subject to the implementation of local government reorganisation and relevant employment legislation, your employment will transfer to one of the new unitary councils from April 2028.

By joining us now, you will play an important role in supporting Lancashire's children and young people while helping shape the future of local government and public services across the county.

Job Description and Person Specification