Job Information
Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us .
SEND Commissioning and Placements Officer
Join a team that's officially Outstanding! Achieving for Children's services have now been rated Outstanding by Ofsted in both Richmond and Kingston. Our services are praised for exceptional care and a workforce that puts children at the center of everything we do.
If you would like to be part of our success story, take a look at the below opportunity to see if it's the right fit for you!
The roles within this service will focus on working in partnership with families, providers and other AfC services to identify outcomes and then to commission services to best meet the needs of young people with SEND to enable them to progress towards adulthood.
We will have accountability for achieving clearly specified and measurable results either personally or through the leadership of a team. We deal with the most complex problems and issues within the boundaries of technical or professional skill and knowledge and make recommendations on procedural improvements and other initiatives to enhance team performance. This team requires a level of professional expertise to work with delivery partners to ensure the effective delivery of a service.
Operational area Kingston and Richmond Primary place of work Guildhall 2, Kingston upon Thames KT1 Appointment type Permanent Business area Education Full time/Part time Full-time Salary from £42,771 (SCP29) Salary to £45,750 (SCP32) Hours 36 Estimated Interview date/s W/C 01/12/2025 Closing Date 25/11/2025 Ref No 2180 Documents
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About the role
You will contribute to the delivery of operational and strategic commissioning intentions identified as part of the SEND Commissioning Service. This will include supporting the establishment of relationships with internal and external suppliers and organisations that deliver services and support that meets the needs and outcomes of children and young people. Working closely with the SEND Commissioning and Partnership Lead, you will deliver delegated activities or products in relation to commissioning, fee uplifts and negotiations, contract management, policy and planning activities as identified and with the potential for a small amount of placement sourcing in highly complex cases.
You will assist in the delivery of jointly commissioned services across the education, health and social care economy in the most efficient and cost-effective ways to ensure value for money. You will support the Commissioning Manager in developing and implementing action plans to deliver agreed strategies and key priorities.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Dominika Mroczek via email:
About you
2. Educated to a degree level or with substantial professional experience.
3. Minimum Level 3 qualification with English and math to Level 2 (GCSE grades 9-4 or equivalent)
4. Experience of building strong partnerships, maintaining relationships and co-producing solutions to challenges across a diverse set of stakeholders, including children, young people and their families. Advocating the voices of those we are working with.
5. Experience in fee negotiations, fee uplifts, SEND placement commissioning and relationship building with the stakeholders
6. Knowledge of statutory legislation (ie. SEND Code of practice) and national policy drivers that will affect children’s SEND services and your role
7. Demonstrable experience of how education funding and budgets, and use of them in bringing in value for money placement decisions
8. Experience of addressing specific equality or diversity issues within your practice with colleagues/service users and taking action to solve them.
9. A passion for Achieving for Children’s vision, mission and values (trust, value. respect) to support children and young people to live safe, happy, healthy and successful lives.
About our benefits
We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:
10. 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
11. Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
12. Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
13. Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
14. A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
15. A range of staff benefits and discounts
16. An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway
To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children. For our social work offer. For our Recruitment Journey,
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.