About the Borough In Sutton, there is much for us to be proud of both as a council and as a borough. This includes high levels of resident satisfaction, the quality of our services, our success in addressing our financial challenges to date, the way that we involve and engage with residents on key issues facing the borough, and the enthusiastic and motivated staff that we employ. Looking ahead, there are plans for the delivery of new homes and new schools and the London Cancer Hub is being developed, while the Council is also seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. All of this demonstrates a good track record and an authority that is ambitious and set to deliver more improvements for the borough. We've set out our vision for the future of Sutton in our corporate plan - Ambitious for Sutton. This strategic plan will shape the outcomes we achieve, the services we provide, and the impact we have on residents, to make Sutton a great place to live, work and raise a family. Situated in Zone 5, Sutton is less than 30 minutes by train from central London, and south and south west London are easily accessible by public transport. There are 10 train stations which serve key neighbourhoods within the borough providing direct connections to London Victoria, London Bridge, London Blackfriars and St Pancras International. Sutton also has direct rail connections with Epsom, Dorking, Guildford and Horsham, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and West Croydon for the London Overground. There's also an extensive road network which provides close and easy access to the M25 and M23. About the Role and our Ideal Candidate Adult Social Care at the London Borough of Sutton is on a transformation journey to improve outcomes for our residents and carers and address the rising demand for our services. Our goal is to deliver exceptional care that enhances outcomes for our community whilst providing an inclusive, diverse and stable environment for staff to grow their career. This is an exciting opportunity for two inspirational leaders to join our Senior Management team as the Head of Service for the Localities Team and Head of Service for our Adult First Contact and Safeguarding Service. As Head of Service, you will also provide strategic guidance across a range of disciplines including the ongoing care and support for older people, carers, disabled people and people with mental health related needs. We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse team of social care professionals that empower adults in our community to live a fulfilled life, strength based and independent life. These are demanding and prestigious roles in which you will hold lead operational responsibility for the service area to ensure the statutory responsibilities of the Council for the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, and other legislative requirements are appropriately managed including joint responsibilities with external agencies. You will also have the opportunity to contribute to lead strategic areas in the service. You will provide leadership, management and professional advice on all aspects of family support and care planning in line with the legislation and standards governed by the Care Quality Commission. Our Ideal Candidate This role is also extremely rewarding. You must be able to manage conflicting priorities and complex situations. Your expertise should include significant experience in leading and managing a multi-disciplinary team which includes social workers, team managers, occupational therapists and enabling independent officers, combined with the experience of building productive partnerships with key stakeholders. In addition, we would expect you to hold: Substantial experience as a team manager in the delivery of adult social care services as a social care professional within a large and complex organisation. Experience of management of safeguarding adults Up to date knowledge and understanding of current affairs influencing local government, the social care sector and the NHS. Experience of leading and managing multi-disciplinary teams through organisational and cultural change and delivering outcomes that require collaborative approaches Knowledge of financial and budgetary management Be an extraordinary leader with a track record of strengthening the delivery of effective and sustainable social care services About Us Our vision encapsulates a community-based approach, with a commitment to improving the quality of life, safety and well being of the people we serve. Locality Teams There are four Locality teams currently in place, aligned to the four Primary Care Network (PCN) footprint - Wallington, Carshalton, Sutton & Cheam. These services are for older people, people with physical and sensory disabilities and people with mental health related needs. Locality teams bring Social Workers together with NHS colleagues, supporting holistic, integrated working. Adult First Contact Centre We have introduced a new Adults First Contact Service that is focused on improving access and the experience of the resident. The team will focus on the person's strength and abilities, screening to see if the person has safeguarding, deprivation of liberty safeguards or Care Act eligibility. We also have a well established DoLS team of Best Interest Assessors (BIAs) undertaking assessments on behalf of the Borough, leading to Standard Deprivations of Liberty under the Mental Capacity Act. Our ambition is also to provide information and advice that supports our residents' independence. Our Offer To You As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across - however big or small - will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team. In addition, we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff, supported by our IT infrastructure, including Google Chromebooks and Google Apps. Our Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme embraces new ways of working. It provides improved work life balance for our staff as it allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include: Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) Flexi-time (Please note, this applies to roles at grades 1-9 only) Three volunteering days per year in Sutton Comprehensive learning and development programme Local and national discounts for shopping, eating out and leisure activities Interest free season ticket loans Local Government Pension Scheme Car parking scheme Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme Zip car scheme Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses Confidential wellbeing and counselling support Subsidised gym membership Application Process Please apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application. To support our diversity agenda and reduce the risk of bias in our recruitment activities, our short listing process completely anonymises personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc. Our hiring managers review and short list applications based on the information provided as part of your application as to how well you meet the requirements and criteria for the role, as outlined in the job profile. The closing date is given as a guide. 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 submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Additional Information We pride ourselves on being a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Borough and we aim to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve - the key highlights from our recent Equalities Workforce Report can be seen here. We are respectful of difference and realise the positive value of diversity in our workforce. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce. As part of our Disability Confident Committed status, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum/essential criteria for the role. LI-JT We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums, and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda. The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Important Information - Criminal Records 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 result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA). Job Profile Head of Service - job profile.pdf - 80KB Opens in a new window