The posting
Job Description
Help find the right homes and pathways for children, young people and care leavers, building a foundation for their future.
As our Placements Transformation Lead, you will tackle complex placement challenges to ensure children, young people and care leavers receive the high-quality support and stability they deserve. It is a role with genuine impact across two boroughs – a chance to combine frontline social care expertise with strategic thinking, transforming how we commission and deliver care.
This is a Bi Borough internal opportunity and is exclusively for qualified social workers currently employed by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) or Westminster City Council (WCC) for development purposes.
Working Style
You will be based in the Borough for three days a week, playing a key role in serving our local communities. Whether you are liaising with colleagues across the service or meeting directly with providers, you will be part of a supportive, dedicated team focused on delivering high standards of care and stability.
What you’ll be doing
We have two positions available, each taking on a focused area of service transformation and placement delivery.
One role will join a Westminster project team dedicated to improving move-on pathways for care leavers. You will collaborate closely with personal advisers to review needs, formulate individual progression plans, source supported accommodation alongside private market options and dismantle barriers that delay moves to independence.
The second role will manage the broader spectrum of placement needs for children and young people aged 0 to 25. Here, you will evaluate placement requests, match individual needs and negotiate contracts with independent and voluntary providers.
In both roles, your focus will be combining hands-on, case-by-case problem-solving with strategic improvements to sufficiency, commissioning pathways and value for money. You will act as a key connector between social work practice and commercial commissioning, ensuring every decision puts the young person first.
For further information on the role, please look at the Job Description and Person Specification.
What you’ll bring
You must be a qualified social worker currently registered with Social Work England and already employed within RBKC or Westminster City Council.
You will bring a comprehensive understanding of statutory children’s social care, commissioning frameworks and the placement needs of looked-after children and care leavers.
Crucially, you possess exceptional negotiation, communication and relationship-building skills. You know how to convene multidisciplinary professionals, challenge existing practice constructively and secure cost-effective, high-quality arrangements.
Most importantly, you are someone who remains calm and composed under pressure. You are skilled at managing competing priorities and confidently navigating complex, sensitive negotiations, always keeping the voice and wellbeing of the child or young person at the heart of every decision.
Why join us
At RBKC, we’re all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future.
Joining our team offers a rare opportunity to blend frontline social care insight with commercial acumen and strategic service transformation. Rather than simply administering existing processes, you will actively shape commissioning pathways, test innovative ideas and influence placement sufficiency across two leading local authorities.
We offer a collegiate, supportive working environment where initiative is championed and you can expand your expertise across project delivery, quality assurance and system-wide improvement. We are committed to your professional development and wellbeing, offering continuous learning and the backing of colleagues who genuinely look out for each other.
About us
Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough.
As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.
In this role, bringing a committed, 'all in' mindset is vital. Securing the right living environment for vulnerable children and care leavers is demanding work, and navigating complex placement markets means it will not always be smooth sailing. However, every ounce of effort pays off. When you tackle difficult barriers and find creative solutions, you create opportunities that directly improve the stability, security and life chances of young people across our communities.
Interview Details
Face to Face interviews 24th November 2026
Ready to join us?
We’re all in – are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we’d love to hear from you.
Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description.
We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.
We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.
We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.
We are committed to fair, transparent, and consistent pay practices. New hires will start at the minimum of the advertised salary range.
Employees receive annual salary increases until they reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, employees will receive any agreed cost of living pay rises.
