Job info |
Job info details |
Job title |
Referral Co-ordinator |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Placements and Contracts Team |
Service |
Specialist Services |
Business unit |
People |
Responsible to (day to day issues) |
Senior Placements and Contracts Officer |
Accountable to (line manager) |
Senior Placements and Contracts Officer |
Salary grade |
7 - 11 |
1. Key purpose of job
- Being part of the Placements and Contracts Team as a Referral Co-ordinator, providing a service for Children Looked After across Torbay providing a high quality customer focused service.
- Providing a consistent and centralised point for initial enquiries to the Placements and Contracts Team and taking referrals about these children.
- Providing information to staff and providers that are available to Children Looked After.
- Ensure all referrals are logged on the Electronic Social Care System – (PARIS) at the point of referral.
- To prioritise contacts and referrals based on need and notifying the Senior Placements and Contracts Officer – within set time scales.
- To communicate effectively with the Social Workers, other Professionals, Providers and Managers.
- Providing a focal point for the collection and dissemination of resources information.
- To review case records and provide relevant information to other Children Service Departments, other Agencies with Safeguarding responsibilities and/or family members as agreed with the Senior Placements and Contracts Officer.
2. Anticipated outcomes of post
3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post
- Responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children at all times
- Providing information and advice directing people to universal agencies. Voluntary organisations both local and national, or sources of help when their needs would be better met elsewhere as appropriate. This to be undertaken in accordance with the Guidance Criteria and the CAF System
- Taking referral information in a consistent manner by completing an electronic contact referral record for all people requesting assistance or advice regarding social care.
- Taking referrals from, professionals. This will include initial information gathering and/or the provision of a S17 assistance to Children in Need with apparent authorisation from a Line Manager.
- Supporting referrers in making a referral and providing a consistent approach to communicating with all referrers to ensure all relevant details are obtained at the initial point of contact. The Referral Co-ordinator will record a priority/response
- Identifying urgent referrals that need a response the same day and to alert and liaise with the Senior Placements and Contracts Officer/or Other Team Managers due to safeguarding concerns or risk of accommodation.
- Making information on services more readily available to social workers and making use of information from customer surveys and professional colleagues.
- Responsibility for making basic enquiries with the professionals and families in accordance with Data Protection principles and Information Sharing Protocols and determined by the Human Rights Act, as requested by the Service Manager.
- Collating statistical data on computer system, in order to access information useful to the department regarding enquiries, referral numbers and subsequent outcomes, and through the utilisation of Management Information System.
- Providing good quality information to providers and staff at the point of referral.
- Ensuring that administrative forms are kept up to date and available to the Senior Placements and Contracts Officer.
- Being responsible for accessing case files and providing accurate and factual information to other professionals.
- The above outlines the duties required for the time being to indicate the level of responsibility. It is not a comprehensive or exclusive list and duties may be varied from time to time which do not change the general character of the job or the level of responsibility entailed.
- The above outlines the duties required for the time being but this is not a comprehensive or exclusive list and duties may be varied from time to time which does not change the general character of the job or the level of responsibility entailed.
4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post
5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post
6. Working environment and conditions of the post
- An assessment of need will be undertaken on request or as determined by role.
7. Physical demands of the post
8. Specific resources used by the post
9. Key contacts and relationships
- External:
- Health
- Education
- Police
- Social Care and Voluntary Agency Staff
- General public
- other agencies e.g. Housing DSS
- Private Sector
- Social Care Agencies
- Independent Fostering Agencies and Residential Providers.
- Internal:
- Referral Co-ordinators (across Torbay Council)
- Social Workers
- Team Managers
- Heads Of Services
- Receptionists
- Community Care Workers
- Torbay Fostering Service
- Youth Offending Service
- Children’s Disability Service
- Early Intervention (particularly CAF Administrator, CAF Mentors, Cluster Teams).
10. Other duties
- To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.
Other Information
- All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
- The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.
- The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
- The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
- This post is based at Union House but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
- As this post meets the requirements in respect of exempted questions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, all applicants who are offered employment will be subject to a criminal record check (Disclosure) from the Criminal Records Bureau before the appointment is confirmed. This will include details of ALL cautions, reprimands or final warnings as well as convictions, whether “spent” or “unspent”. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post.
- Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
Person Specification
Note for Candidate
All Candidates
The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement.
In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.
Candidates who consider that they have a disability
Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.
If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.
Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.
If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.
Job info |
Job info details |
Job Title |
Referral Co-ordinator |
Strategic team/Directorate |
Placements and Contracts Team |
Service |
Specialist Services |
Business unit |
People |
Skills and effectiveness
Essential skills and effectiveness
- An understanding of Child Development, Family Support and Child Protection.
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to liaise with other agencies and professionals.
- Effective telephone manner and good recording skills.
- Keyboard/IT Skills.
- Effective recording skills.
- Ability to work as part of a team.
- Reliability, commitment and flexibility.
- Ability to work within corporate policy and an awareness of equal opportunities.
- Ability to prioritise work daily.
- Self-awareness of own strengths and limitations.
Desirable skills and effectiveness
- RSA Stage 1 & 11 in word processing or equivalent, eg CLIAT.
- Customer Care/Reception Training.
- Knowledge of PARIS Social Care System.
Knowledge
Essential knowledge
- Every Child Matters and Change for Children Agenda.
- Of legislation affecting the provision of social care services to children and families as identified within the Children Act 1989 and 2004 and the NHS and Community Care Act 1990.
- Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families.
- Children’s Services criteria for Services.
Desirable knowledge
- 3 years experience of dealing with the public, either through Health, Education, Social Services, Voluntary Agency work.
- Of Children and Families Services including local community resources.
- Information Sharing Protocols and Procedures (Information Governance), Check Confidentiality and Codes of Conduct, Data Protection Act, Human Rights Act.
Experience and achievements
Essential experience and achievements
- Of working with Children and Families in a statutory or voluntary setting.
- An understanding of basic human needs, cultural, physical, emotional and social.
- Of interviewing members of the public on the telephone or face to face and in potentially distressing and upsetting circumstances.
Desirable experience and achievements
- Child Protection Foundation Course.
- Child Protection Emotional Abuse and Neglect.
Qualifications/professional memberships
Essential qualifications/professional memberships
- Educated to GCSE level/equivalent or above.
- Evidence of consistent pattern of learning from education, training and expertise.
Desirable qualifications/professional memberships
N/A
Other requirements
Other requirements of the job role
- Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
- Ability to carry out the physical requirements of the role (i.e. manual handling).
- Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/South West/UK in order to carry out duties.
- Ability to accommodate unsociable hours.
- Ability to accommodate occasional home-working.