Designated Social Care Officer

Sutton Council
Sutton
Fixed Term
Two Years
Full Time
10
36
£55,155 - £63,879 (£66,156 unconsolidated maximum)
Per annum
32 days

05/06/2023, 23:55

12th June

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.

An exciting opportunity has arisen to shape and deliver the Designated Social Care Officer (DSCO)  role, which will be new to London Borough of Sutton.  The role is aimed at strengthening collaborative working between Social Care, Education, SEND and Health.  We are looking for someone who is passionate about improving services for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The DSCO will strategically lead in framing the social care elements of the SEND Strategy across the local authority/local area partnership and ensure that we are in compliance with the legislative requirements of the SEND Code of Practice (2015), as we meet our statutory responsibilities under the Children and Family Act (2014) and Care Act (2014).  

The successful candidate will also contribute to and influence SEND organisational design through better alignment of the SEND and social care systems, providing a more joined-up experience for children and their families.

#LI-CE1

Sutton's CYPDS provides a specialist service to children and young people with disabilities and their families and SEND.  The CYPDS is comprised of two social work teams, and a team of specialist support workers who work closely with SEND.  We are passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children and young people with disabilities, and promoting robust preparation for adulthood.  We pride ourselves on engaging fully with children and young people, and ensuring that direct work is undertaken so their voices are heard.  Our service has a strong learning culture, and there are many training opportunities.  Our culture of strong, accessible and supportive management will provide you with good regular supervision, and the opportunity to participate in restorative group supervisions.The role will sit across children's social care and SEND.  
To be successful in this role you will need to hold a recognised qualification in social work, education or other relevant profession, and have an in-depth knowledge of social care processes and the SEND reforms agenda. You will also need to have effective leadership and negotiation skills, be used to working collaboratively with Directors, managers, practitioners and partners to drive organisational development and change.

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.

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)
  • 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

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.

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.

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).

This opportunity is closed to applications.