Referrals Officer - Fostering

Join Our Team as a Referrals Officer - Fostering!

Location: Sittingbourne

Contract: Full Time, Permanent - 35 hours per week

Salary: Up to £23,195.81 per annum

Why Choose Us?

Welcome to Polaris, one of the UK's largest communities dedicated to children's services! For over 30 years, we've been passionately transforming the lives of young people through our independent fostering and adoption agencies, education, residential care, and bespoke services. Our nurturing community is committed to achieving the best outcomes for every child in our care. We believe in the potential of our children, families, and staff, and we’re excited about the future!

What We Are Looking For

Are you a proactive, relationship-driven individual? We want you to join our established Referrals Team as a Referrals Officer! In this vital role, you will be the first point of contact between local authorities, foster families, and social workers, ensuring that every referral is matched with the right foster family based on the child's unique needs.

Your Role Responsibilities

• Take ownership of all foster family vacancies and serve as the key contact for specific fostering agencies within the Polaris Community.
• Accurately monitor and record foster family vacancies.
• Engage daily with foster families via phone or Teams video calls.
• Attend regular meetings with agency managers and social workers.
• Keep the recording system (CHARMS) updated.
• Utilize internal performance tools to track data and support agency growth.
• Respond to new referrals within 15 minutes, ensuring quick and careful matching.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with local authorities and commissioning teams.
• Adopt a solution-focused approach to overcome barriers and secure successful matches.
• Provide daily updates to your line manager on referral activity and challenges.
• Log successful matches and declines accurately on agency spreadsheets.

What You Bring

• Strong administration skills, including experience with screening referrals and updating internal systems.
• A methodical and organized approach to managing and prioritizing your workload.
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced team environment while also working autonomously.
• Confidence in communicating with both internal and external teams.
• A drive to maximize referral conversions into successful placements.
• A genuine commitment to the ethos and values of the Polaris Community and its agencies.
• Experience in the children's services sector is advantageous, but full training will be provided.

Working Conditions & Benefits

• Enjoy 30 days of annual leave, increasing to 35 days with length of service, plus bank holidays.
• Participate in our Company Pension scheme.
• Benefit from Life Assurance and an Employee Discount Scheme.
• Access a Medical Cash Plan for your health needs.
• Enjoy free on-site parking for your convenience.

At Polaris, we are an equal opportunities employer. The successful applicant will be subject to a DBS check. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and we expect all staff to share this commitment.

Ready to make a difference? Join us in creating brighter futures for children and young people!