Referral Officer

Referral Officer – Residential Growth Team.

Salary: £24,800 per annum, pro rata.

Location: Remote, must be based in the UK

Contract/Hours: Fixed Term Contract for 6 months, Part-time (working 21 hours a week).

Benefits: 

• 29 days annual leave PLUS bank holidays pro rata, with up to 5 additional days for continuous service and option to buy or sell leave.
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities 
• Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages.
• Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover. 
• Staff discounts and Blue Light Card eligibility with 15,000 national retailers’ discounts. 

 Vulnerable children in the UK need your help 

Wherever you work in the Action for Children family, you'll be helping to change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the UK. 

Last year, we helped more than 687,000 children and families across the UK. From direct work in communities to national campaigning, we are focused on making sure every child has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive. 

Why Action for Children? 

Working here is more than a job. Everyone in the Action for Children family is passionate about protecting and supporting children. It's the sense of purpose that drives us every single day. Because we know that, when we work together, we can make a huge difference to bring lasting improvements to vulnerable children's lives. 

About the service 

The Residential Growth Programme is dedicated to expanding and enhancing residential services for children and young people. Our mission is to develop new children's homes and improve existing ones, ensuring high-quality care and support. We focus on creating safe, nurturing environments that promote the wellbeing and development of every child. Our team collaborates with Local Authorities, healthcare providers, and community organisations to meet the diverse needs of children in care. Join us in making a difference by providing stable and loving homes for children who need it most.

We are looking for an experienced Referral Officer to join our friendly Central Referrals Team and offer valued peripatetic support across England and Wales through the administration of the referral process from initial enquiry to placement. The position will provide a customer-focused service, acting as the first point of contact for Local Authority Commissioners and Placement Teams looking for homes for children in care.

How you'll help to find nurturing loving homes for children and young people:

Some key responsibilities of this Referral Officer role are:

• Sharing responsibility for the delivery of an effective and efficient front door referral triage system.
• Providing a wide range of administrative support including referral systems, correspondence with Commissioners, analysing data and identifying trends in referral streams.
• Managing England-wide and Wales-wide central referrals inboxes and commissioning Local Authorities’ Placements Portals.
• Developing effective relationships with colleagues and external agencies.
• Providing a welcoming and responsive service to Placement Teams and Social Workers enquiring about children’s homes.
• Robust data management and analysis.
• Liaising with internal Children’s Services Teams to triage the eligibility of referrals.
• Providing written reports to meet the needs of management reporting.
• Undertaking desktop research on behalf of colleagues and management for presentation and analysis.

Let's talk about you 

Are you resilient and have a positive approach to change and challenge? We are looking for someone with a ‘can do’ attitude to join our team. Ideally you will have:

• Experienced Referral Officer – understanding of referral triage processes, risk assessments, matching profiles, and possess a sense of urgency.
• Business Administration Diploma Level 2 or equivalent qualification or work experience.
• Experience using Excel and database management.
• Experience of using PCs on a business network running MS Windows and Office, along with Email and Internet and specific business applications.
• To be able to work within a team environment, demonstrating tact and diplomacy with other members of staff and where necessary to direct and guide.
• Effective communication, both written and oral, to a range of different personnel.
• The ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of team and directorate, with reasonable adjustments, if required, according to the Equality Act.

 Contact: recruitmentservice@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 13569.

Closing date: Monday 31^st August 2026.

Interviews will be conducted by MS Teams on either 9^th or 10^th  September 2026.

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Diversity, equality and inclusion

At Action for Children, we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. 

We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within Action for Children. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups in society and for Action for Children.

Male staff are under-represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to encourage more male applicants for our Children Service roles.

Don't meet every single requirement? 

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family. 

Want to know more about Action for Children?

Find us on  Linkedin, Facebook or YouTube to get to know us better.

JOB DESCRIPTION

 See below for further information about working with us:

Action for Children Employee Benefits

AfC Commitment Statement