Job Description
Job Title: / Director of Children’s ServicesStrategic Team: / Joint Commissioning Team
Service:
Business Unit: / Joint Commissioning Team
Joint Commissioning
Responsible To: (day to day issues) / Chief Executive
Accountable To: (line manager) / Chief Executive
Salary Grade: (Spinal column points only) / Hay Know How 608
1. Key Purpose of Job
1.1. To ensure that all services provide improved outcomes for families, particularly in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people.
1.1. To take responsibility for ensuring that the Council acts fully and appropriately in its duty as Corporate Parent.
1.1. To be the lead professional advisor on Children’s services for the council, providing advice to Members, the Chief Executive and senior managers.
1.2. To lead, develop and ensure implementation of policy and strategy on all matters relating to Children’s Services, in accordance with the Children Act 2004 and any prevailing education legislation
1.1. To work collaboratively with the Torbay and Southern Devon NHS Health and Care Trust Board on all issues relating to the potential integration statutory requirements, professional standards, national policy and workforce.
1.3. To take overall responsibility for education, learning and skills, particularly school improvement and be responsible for all education services which the Council has responsibility for and for liaison with other providers of education and training.
1.4. To contribute strategically at an organisation wide level as a member of the Council’s Senior Leadership Team to deliver the Council’s vision and corporate improvement priorities as well as reflecting statutory requirements and local needs.
1.2. To lead the strategic commissioning of relevant services both for children to ensure the needs of children are represented corporately.
1.3. Direct and control the financial expenditure and integrity of children’s services to assure compliance with financial regulations and Council polices and value for money.
1.4. Identify, plan and direct further innovation, integration, efficiency and effectiveness projects and initiatives to achieve objectives and transformational change.
1.5. Act as a leadership role model by instigating and reinforcing business and ethical values, behaviours and codes of conduct.
2. Anticipated Outcomes of Post
2.1. Children’s Services which are judged by Ofsted to demonstrate continued and sustained improvement in all areas.
2.2. Full due diligence is carried out in partnership with Trust Executive Directors and other stakeholders to design and deliver the programme of work resulting in achievement of an integrated Children’s Service built around the philosophy of the Life Course Model and Family Centred Care.
2.3. Performance and quality assurance culture that delivers results through rigorous open challenge, personal accountability and continuous improvement is embedded.
2.4. An overarching approach to health inequalities and wellbeing is in place.
2.5. Effective and efficient partnerships with a wide variety of organisations in the public, private and voluntary and community sectors, who also provide children’s services in order to focus resources jointly on improving outcomes for children and young people, particularly in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
2.6. Providing the Corporate Leadership team with a strong and clear role of “people’s champion” who is able to take a shared view of the needs of the citizens and the services that they use.
2.7. Corporate solutions solving problems and service delivery.
2.8. Delivery of corporate projects to agreed outcomes.
2.9. Evidence-based policy proposals that are inclusive and needs-led.
2.10. Customers/stakeholders are involved in commissioning of services.
2.11. An effective service and working environment which includes:
· Value for money from commissioned services (internal and external):
· Joint accountability for budget delivery
· Robust contractual and contract management
· Appropriate benchmarking
· Financial and legal compliance
· Commercial & business culture
· Improvements/changes delivered in tight financial constraints
2.12. Effective relationships with key stakeholders, government and government bodies, professional bodies and other organisations.
2.13. Motivated employees working in a structure that does not depend on direct line management, budgetary or other resource control.
2.14. Appropriate contribution to emergencies.
3. List Key Duties and accountabilities of the post
3.1. Undertake the statutory role of Director of Children’s Services.
3.2. To be responsible for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people at all times ensuring that all relevant legislative and statutory obligations are met.
3.3. Direct the strategic and operational management of children’s services, monitoring performance against plans to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services to the highest standards including financial, procurement, performance, risk, people and change management.
3.4. To work with health partners to undertake a range of due diligence activities, including focus on risks, strategic alignment, robust project management, organisational development and an integrated and effective communication strategy is in place which engages all stakeholders (internal and external) in the delivery the project.
3.5. To provide expertise, training, advice and support on project management related matters.
3.6. Provide strong, visible leadership and direction to staff including the development of organisational capability through mentoring and developing individuals and supporting cross organisational talent development.
3.7. To ensure the effectiveness of the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB).
3.8. To work with Members and partners to ensure that the Health and Wellbeing Board works effectively and fulfils it’s potential.
3.9. To prepare and publish a Children and Young People’s Plan (CYPP) to set out the authority’s strategy for discharging their functions in relation to children and young people.
3.10. Listen to and involve children, and champion their interest both across functional boundaries with the Local Authority and across local partnerships, so ensuring that the needs of children, young people and their families or carers are addressed.
3.11. Bid for budget from Full Council to deliver against specifications and select potential delivery providers and allocate a budget envelope for delivery.
3.12. Utilise strategy, transformation and commissioning support to obtain intelligence to support decision making and secure necessary outsourcing, partnership or provider contracts.
3.13. Support Members to develop and define their strategic priorities and required outcomes on children related themes.
3.14. Ensure external legislation, statutory requirements, regulations and codes of practice are adhered to across services.
3.15. To provide Commissioning and contract management and to manage the relationships between Providers, the Council and other stakeholders, alongside the statutory requirements of the role.
3.16. Make recommendations for strategic decisions for the improvement of service delivery, efficiency and service design.
3.17. Direct the operation of the Council’s contracted out and commissioned services provision and establish suitable arrangements for performance management.
3.18. Develop strategies and take decisions for the integration of services, development of universal and personalised services across children’s social care.
3.19. Ensure that performance management arrangements are robustly implement and adhered to including appropriate monitoring and plans for prioritised improvement.
3.20. Build and maintain strong partnerships with school governors, head teachers, Academy Federations and other partners and groups within the community, regionally and nationally, to promote and realise targets for school improvements and pupil achievement.
3.21. Promote education excellence in Torbay, ensure a high quality of supply of school places and develop school improvement strategies to improve educational standards and support local schools.
4. Give examples of the typical types of problems and decisions the post will be required to make
4.1. Safeguard the council budget and ensure statutory requirements are met in commissioning and decommissioning services for protecting and supporting vulnerable people.
4.2. Make accurate self evaluations concerning all aspects of Children’s Services provision that can be tested via Inspection and peer review.
4.3. Make strategic decisions that will involve the handling of conflicting views & sensitive information, drawing conclusions that may be contentious and politically charged including, decisions affecting significant numbers of children and the work of partner organisations.
4.4. The co-ordination and management of resources to deliver strategic objectives requiring decision making on the methods of co-ordination, the scope of resources and available budget, including with regard to Children’s Services the delivery of the 5 Year Budget Recovery Plan.
4.5. The co-ordination of priorities across a range of Senior Management and organisational structures
5. Budgetary / Financial Responsibilities of the post
5.1. Prime net budget approximately £28M
5.2. Current DSG of approximately £90M
5.3. Influence over the Council’s full budget of circa £110m
6. Supervision / Line Management Responsibilities of the post ( Please show / provide organisation structure as an appendices, showing official reporting lines
6.1. This post will manage on an operational level the Assistant Director of Children’s Safeguarding, Principal Commissioner / Project Manager (CYP), SWIFT and Head of Education, Learning & Skills and carry out regular supervision of each team member using identified mechanisms.
6.2. To assertively and continually challenge teams and managers to improve performance.
6.3. To establish annual objectives and ensure that these are cascaded to team members monitoring their performance through the Council’s appraisal process.
6.4. To ensure the effective safe recruitment, retention and training of staff.
7. Working Environment & Conditions of the post
7.1. Normal working environment and conditions
8. Physical Demands of the post
8.1. Normal physical effort
9. Specific Resources used by the post
9.1. None
10. Key Contacts and Relationships
10.1. External: Central Government, Public Health England, NHS England, Other Local Authorities, Other public sector organisations, Ofsted, the Council’s auditors, Private and voluntary organisations and employers, partner agencies
10.2. Internal: Executive members, Other Elected Members, Executive Director, Senior staff across the Council, Trades Unions, Employees at all levels across the Council
11. Other Duties
To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.
Other Information
a) All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
b) The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.c) The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
d) The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
e) This post is based at Tor Hill House but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
f) The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
g) If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.
g) You will be asked to complete a Criminal Records Self Declaration Form. Criminal convictions will only be taken into account when they are relevant to the post. You will only be asked to disclose ‘unspent’ convictions
h) Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
i) The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures.
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Job Description and Person Specification template – Nov 2009
Person Specification
Note for CandidateAll Candidates
The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement.
In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.
Candidates who consider that they have a disability
Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.
If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.
Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.
If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.
Page 11
Job Description and Person Specification template – Nov 2009
Person Specification
Job Title: / Director of Children’s Services / StrategicTeam / Joint Commissioning Team / Service: / Children’s Services / Business Unit: / Children’s Services
Essential Skills and Effectiveness: / Desirable Skills and Effectiveness:
1. Ability to build consensus, persuade, negotiate and influence without direct line management or control of resources.