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?

At Polaris, we are proud to be one of the UK's largest communities of children's service providers. For over 30 years, we have been dedicated to improving the lives of young people through our independent fostering and adoption agencies, education, residential, and bespoke children's services. Our nurturing community collaborates to ensure the best outcomes for every child in our care. We are ambitious for our children, families, and staff, believing wholeheartedly in their futures.

What We Are Looking For

We are seeking a proactive, relationship-driven Referrals Officer to join our established Referrals Team. In this pivotal role, you will be the first point of contact between local authorities, foster families, and social workers. Your mission? To ensure every referral is matched with the right foster family based on the child's unique needs.

Your Responsibilities

• Take ownership of all foster family vacancies and act 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 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 (ISP, Orange Grove, Fosterplus, Clifford House).
• Experience in the children's services sector or a related field is advantageous, but full training will be provided.

Working Conditions & Benefits

• 30 days' annual leave, rising to 35 days with length of service + bank holidays.
• Company Pension.
• Life Assurance.
• Employee Discount Scheme.
• Medical Cash Plan.
• Free on-site parking.

We are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults. All staff are expected to share this commitment. Please note that the successful applicant will be subject to a DBS check.

Join us in making a difference in the lives of children and young people. Your journey starts here!