Assistant Director- C- SPA & Assessment

This role is offered on a salary range from GBP81,877 to GBP92,278 per annum based at our North East office in Walton on Thames.

This role carries a countywide lead responsibility for our Children's Single Point of Access teams and our Assessment service, meaning that you will need to be flexible to travel to other locations across Surrey when needed. We support agile working and while Walton is our preferred contractual base for this role we would be willing to discuss other office base options.

We have an opportunity for an inspiring, collaborative, and family–centric leader to join our dynamic leadership team at Surrey County Council to play a pivotal role in our continuous improvement journey!

Fresh from our JTAI (Joint Targeted Area Inspection) Early Help Inspection in March 2023, we're ready to take the insights and recommendations highlighted in the report and use these to propel ourselves forward. We're determined to build upon our strengths and tackle the areas that require development and that's where you come in! We're looking for a County–wide Assistant Director for our C–SPA and Assessment Service to spearhead this critical work with us.

As our countywide lead for C–SPA and Assessment you will help to lead positive change across our four quadrants, shaping a vibrant learning culture that uplifts our entire service. Your skills, knowledge and insights gained as an experienced practitioner will be the catalyst for upskilling our workforce, and as a passionate advocate for practitioner development you will be a champion for consistency and high–quality practice across our Assessment and C– SPA teams. Your primary focus will be on ensuring that our front door activity is laser–focused and delivered in a timely manner. As we develop the intervention into our assessment work at Surrey, you will crucially help to navigate the potential impact of the 'Care Review' and consider how that could impact our service delivery.

Integral to this role is the need to be collaborative and resourceful. You'll excel at building strong, supportive networks with our partners, agencies, and communities, working together, to embed our Family Safeguarding principles deep within every aspect of our work. By fostering these essential connections, we'll ensure that we're at the forefront of meeting the diverse needs of our children and families across Surrey.

We believe in providing the best for all our children, young people, and their families, leaving no one behind. With your guidance, we'll ensure that individuals, including our staff receive the support they need. While pursuing this commitment, you'll be mindful of budget envelopes with a keen eye for responsible resource management while maintaining the highest standards of service possible.

But that's not all! You'll have an ability to bring valuable national learning and insight back to Surrey. By tapping into external insights, you'll look to explore and share ideas for new avenues for continuous improvement. Your keen eye will scan the horizon for future challenges, pushing us to respond in innovative ways. We're looking for someone who thrives on tackling complex issues head–on.

If you're passionate about safeguarding children and recognize that strengthening family resilience is a cornerstone of effective child protection, then this role offers an exceptional opportunity to make a significant impact and we'd love to hear from you. Join us and contribute to a future where children are safe, families are supported, and our communities thrive.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on Monday 12th June 2023.

Shortlisting will take place across W/C the 12th June 2023 with application outcomes to be communicated by the end of that week.

Interviews will be held face to face at our Quadrant Court Office in Woking and are planned for Friday the 30th of June 2023. If this date needs to change then you will be advised with as much notice as possible.

An Enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

This post has been designated as a politically restricted post in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Our Benefits – what we can offer you:

We offer many great benefits for staff depending on what is important to you. A selection of these include:

• Agile and flexible work options: We recognise the importance of striking a good work life balance and are open to considering work patterns shaped around the principles of trust, accountability and a strong team and work ethic
• Professional support
• A generous local government pension
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing tools
• Lifestyle benefits
• Travel and Transport benefits

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.