Referrals Officer - Fostering

Location: Sittingbourne
Contract: Full-Time, Permanent - 35 hours per week
Salary: Up to £23,625.00
Benefits: 30 days' Annual Leave (rising to 35 with length of service) + Bank Holidays, Company Pension, Life Assurance, Employee Discount Scheme, Medical Cash Plan & Free On-site Parking

We are Polaris, one of the UK's largest leading communities of children's service providers. Within the community, we have independent fostering and adoption agencies who have been passionately improving the lives of young people for over 30 years, as well as Education, Residential and Leaving Care services, and bespoke children's services contracts. Our nurturing community works collectively to support the very best outcomes for each and every child in our care. We're ambitious for our children and young people, families and staff, and believe in their futures.

We are looking for a proactive, relationship-driven Referrals Officer to join our established Referrals Team.

A "Referral" is a request from a Local Authority to find a suitable foster family for a child or young person who needs a safe and supportive home.

In this pivotal role, you'll be the first point of contact between Local Authorities, foster families, and Social Workers-making sure every referral is carefully matched to the right foster family based on the child's needs.

• Take ownership for all foster family vacancies and act as the key point of contact for specific fostering agencies within the Polaris Community
• Accurately monitor and record foster family vacancies
• Engage daily (by phone call or Teams video call) with all foster families on the vacancy list
• Attend regular meetings with Agency Managers and Social Workers
• Ensure the recording system (CHARMS) is kept updated
• Use internal performance tools to track data and support foster family vacancies and agency growth
• Respond to new referrals within 15 minutes, matching children to suitable foster families quickly and carefully
• 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, carer availability, and any challenges
• Log successful matches and declines accurately on agency spreadsheets

• Strong administration skills, including screening referrals and updating internal systems
• A methodical and organised approach to managing and prioritising workload effectively
• The ability to work well within a fast-paced team environment, as well as autonomously using your own initiative
• Confidence communicating with both internal and external teams
• Driven to maximise referral conversions into successful placement matches with available foster families
• A genuine commitment to the ethos and values of the Polaris Community and its agencies (ISP, Orange Grove, Fosterplus, Clifford House)
• Experience of working within the children's services sector/similar related field would be advantageous; however, full training will be provided

We are an equal opportunities employer. The successful applicant will be subject to a DBS check if successful for the position. Polaris is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment. We reserve the right to withdraw this advert without notification.