Placement Quality Officer

Wigan Council; Wigan; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Exclusive rewards and benefits

Job summary

Wigan Council is seeking a Placement Quality Officer within the LAC Commissioning and Placement Team. You will support commissioning, quality assurance and contract monitoring of placements for children and young people.

The role involves leading reviews, monitoring compliance and driving continuous improvement in collaboration with internal and external providers. You will work on market development and use feedback from children, families and professionals to improve outcomes, with no direct

Qualifications

• Experience in quality assurance, commissioning or contract monitoring for children or young people.
• Understanding of safeguarding and children’s legislation.
• Ability to analyse information, manage priorities and build relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality assurance reviews and monitor provider compliance.
• Support market development and external-provider engagement.
• Use feedback from children, families and professionals to drive improvement.
• Work as part of a team with no direct line management responsibility.

Skills

Quality assurance

Commissioning

Contract monitoring

Children's social care

Education

Relevant qualification in social care

Job description

Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance

Wigan Life Centre South

Salary: Grade 8, £37,563 - £42,123 per annum.

37 hours per week

We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.

We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!

Your Role:

As a Placement Quality Officer within Wigan Council's LAC Commissioning and Placement Team, you will support the commissioning, quality assurance and contract monitoring of placements for children and young people. Working closely with internal services, fostering, residential homes and external providers, you will help ensure children access high-quality, safe and value-for-money placements. The role involves leading quality assurance reviews, monitoring provider compliance, supporting market development and using feedback from children, families and professionals to drive continuous improvement. You will work as part of an experienced team and have no direct line management responsibility.

About You:

You will have experience in quality assurance, commissioning, contract monitoring or children's social care, supported by a relevant qualification or significant practical experience. You will understand children's legislation, safeguarding, commissioning and provider markets, and be confident analysing information, managing multiple priorities and building effective relationships. Excellent communication, sound judgement and the ability to work independently are essential. You will be passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people and committed to maintaining high standards of quality and compliance.

About us:

Join an ambitious, experienced and supportive team dedicated to securing the best outcomes for children and young people in Wigan. We work collaboratively across commissioning, fostering, residential services and external providers to shape a high-quality local placement market. At Team Wigan, we value positivity, accountability, courage and kindness, creating a culture where staff are empowered to innovate, develop professionally and make a meaningful difference to the lives of children, families and communities.

The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.

Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.

To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK, and you must maintain a valid (active) right to work. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Prove your right to work to an employer

Wigan Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. As part of this commitment, Wigan Council operates robust Safer Recruitment procedures

We recognise that on occasion candidates may use AI tools. Please read our applying authentically section below before submitting your application.

Supporting Documents

• Privacy Notice
• Safer Recruitment at Wigan Council
• Job Specification
• Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach