The Role

Would you like the opportunity to use performance information, business intelligence and horizon scanning to inform the delivery of innovative service-led improvements to Children’s Services across social the Social Care and Health interface?

Does the sound of challenging the status quo and driving transformation to improve the health and well-being of children and young people appeal to you?

If yes, this is a great opportunity for you to take a role in helping us in our Children and Young People’s (CYP) partnership work across health and social care, to provide every child and young person the opportunity to realise their potential.

About the service

Wandsworth Children’s Services and Southwest London Integrated Care Board have the highest ambitions to deliver the very best for our children and young people. The Performance and Improvement service, sitting within Children’s Services, works with the CYP to help ensure that we excel in our work with children and their families. We are passionate about improving the lives and life chances of children and young people.

About the role

In this unique role you will have the opportunity to work in a small team, within a large service system, supporting the CYP to review and implement national, regional and local children’s policy to improve health and well-being outcomes for our children and families across Wandsworth. You will be supported to move at pace on service improvements, with the opportunity to build on and contribute to the significant momentum already established by the team.

The role is part of the Performance and Improvement Function. The wider function team regularly meet virtually and in person throughout the month. There are weekly ‘huddles’ to keep informed and updated on the wider team’s work, broadening your understanding of our ambitious and continuous improvements to ensure Wandsworth is the best place to grow up.

You will benefit from a varied and stimulating role across organisations working towards creating real change in the local community.

You will help to develop key strategies and policies across the organisations and facilitate the necessary partnership activity to ensure they are realised. Having oversight of and carrying out research on relevant policy developments will be a crucial part of your role. You will use feedback, benchmarking and evidence of good practice to inform innovation and transformation, as well as utilise your strong relationships with partners to impact service delivery and outcomes.

As the Service Development, Policy & Projects Officer you will:

• Work with a range of stakeholders to develop high quality strategies, policies and plans that articulate and align Children’s Services activity across health and social.
• Provide briefings for senior managers, elected and board members and others regarding key policy developments at both a national and local level.
• Contribute to the partnership’s understanding of the national, local and organisational context in which Children’s Services operate to facilitate decision making, service transformation and commissioning.
• Coordinate and work with senior officers to achieve agreement on the Council and ICB’s responses to national agendas, initiatives and consultations.
• Contribute to change programmes within the service and provide project support, including the development of business cases, PIDs and project plans, to these. 

Contact details

If you would like an informal conversation about the role please contact:  paul.martland@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk

At Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, we care more about how you work and what you achieve, rather than where you work on any given day. The difference you can make to our local communities is what really matters most to us, service delivery must always come first. We have carefully considered agile ways of working to provide the best experience for residents, stakeholders and our staff. Our agile working strategy actively supports and encourages a dynamic work environment and daily working experience. Agile working helps put the needs of our staff at the centre of everything we do, so if specific flexible working arrangements helps you with this, feel free to let us know.

Your wellbeing and the flexible way in which you can work is and will remain a key priority for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. We want you to thrive and feel empowered in your work!

We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working including, working from home and other arrangements. Please just let us know in your application or at any stage throughout the process (and beyond) if these are options you’d like to explore We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 40 paid days (pro rata) including bank holidays and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.

In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government pension scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

Indicative Recruitment Timeline

Closing date: 11:59pm on Monday 14th August

Shortlisting date: Tuesday 15th August

Interview date: TBC

Useful Information:

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. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please note that the advertised dates for interviews may change due to the current Covid-19 situation. If they do, we will let you know as soon as possible.

We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.

Important Information:

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 response 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).

How to apply?

To be considered for interview your application must highlight your knowledge, skills and experience listed in the Job Profile located at the bottom.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils