National Telephone Appointments Service
Service Manager /
Appointments Administrator
Candidate information pack
January 2011
CONTENTS
1.Letter from Director of Centre Development
2.An Introduction to Marriage Care
3.Service Manager job description
4.Service Manager person specification
5.Appointments Administrator job description
6.Appointments Administrator person specification
7.Service Manager terms and conditions
8.Appointments Administrator terms and conditions
9.Application form
10.Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form
1.Letter from Director of Centre Development
Dear applicant
Thank you for your interest in working for Marriage Care in our national telephone appointments service as either Service Manager or Appointments Administrator.
Marriage Care is a faith-inspired national organisation supporting marriage, relationships and family life. We believe that a strong and stable society is founded on stable and happy couple relationships. We offer relationship support services on a non-fixed fee basis so that they are available to all, regardless of ability to pay.
Our relationship counselling is open to all types of couples and individuals. It is supported by a centralised telephone appointments service managing the appointments for clients and counsellors. The service is based in the centre of Nottingham and is run by a small team taking calls from clients, setting up appointments with counsellors, and managing the appointments process.
This appointments service is the first port of call for people, sometimes in immediate distress, that are looking for relationship counselling. As such, the quality of the service, and the quality and commitment of the staff that provide the service, are essential to the success of our aims.
We are looking for a manager of the service and a part-time appointments administrator to be part of the team.
This information pack contains a brief introduction to Marriage Care, the job description and person specification for both positions, terms and conditions, and an application form.
To apply for either position, please send a completed application form and a separate equal opportunities monitoring form to Angela Dunlea, by 7 February. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.
Interviews for the service manager position will be held on Tuesday 15 February in Nottingham. The interviews for the appointments administrator have been provisionally scheduled for Wednesday 23 February.
Please contact me on 020 7371 1341 ext 212, or email for further information about either position.
Mary Paterson
Director of Centre Development
2.An Introduction to Marriage Care
From its post-War beginnings in London in 1946, Marriage Care’s aims have been simple:
- to support couples within marriage and other relationships;
- to prepare those wishing to make that commitment in the future;
- to support family life in general.
Today, Marriage Care has over 50 centres across England and Wales. One of the key activities is to provide relationship and marriage preparation workshops. Last year, we helped over 3000 couples embarking on a long-term commitment. In addition we supported more than 1500 people who sought our help with relationship issuescounselling from more than 100 locations. We have expanded greatly since our beginnings and with your support, we can go further.
Our ambition is simple: to make professional relationship support more widely available across the country and to help couples understand that this support is vital, but not a sign of weakness. Wedo not charge for our services so as not to exclude anyone, but we do askthe people we work with for voluntary contributions;we are reliant ontheir generosity for the continuation and development of our services.
Some of our funding comes from central government and we also have somelocal support from Catholic dioceses and parishes who appreciate the value of our work. We also greatly value the contributions made by our clients for our continued survival.
All matters connected with strategy, policy, recruitment, training and development are looked after by our national office in London, but the provision of counselling and marriage preparation services is carried out by Centres spread across England and Wales. All our members are volunteers working as “unpaid professionals” who believe in the difference our work can make to people’s relationships and lives. Because our guiding aim is to make relationship support more widely available, much of our annual budget is committed in advance to supporting and training our practitioners.
VALUES
Marriage Care is a faith-inspired organisation committed to the life-long support of marriage, relationships and family life. We recognise the dynamic nature of all long-term, intimate partnerships and acknowledge that all can experience periods of difficulty. We believe that a strong and stable society is founded on stable and happy couple relationships and believe that our services should be available to all regardless of ability to pay. We accept all those who come to us for help and support without judgment or discrimination and welcome all who volunteer with us regardless of faith, no faith, age, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
SERVICES AT LOCAL CENTRES
There is great demand for our services: a typical Centre will organise anything up to 20 counselling sessions a week and five to ten marriage preparation workshops a year, but this can vary according to demand. Centre Heads are vital to the success of Marriage Care. They usually lead a team of two to ten counsellors, similar numbers of marriage preparation providers and FOCCUS facilitators as well as two to five part-time support volunteers, including a secretary and treasurer and ideally a publicity officer. Local Centres report to the national office in London which in turn provides support, guidance and further training to all Centre staff.
Centres are often ‘virtual’: although some centres have the luxury of their own accommodation, many rent or use rooms donated from local organisations for meetings, workshops and counselling, with admin done from home.
Counselling
We offer a confidential relationship counselling service to both couples and individuals. A typical course of counselling progresses through six, 50 minute sessions, during which clients explore their situation, are helped to come to terms with it and ultimately, move towards a workable resolution of their issues. Further sessions are offered if appropriate.
We take our commitment to counselling seriously and all sessions are conducted within the ethical framework of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Our approach to counselling is non-judgmental and person-centred.
Marriage preparation
We offer relationship andmarriage preparation workshops for those committing to a long-term future together. A typical one-day workshop covers all the core elements we consider fundamental to a successful relationship, such as what makes for good communication, sharing goals and values, learning to manage conflict and negotiation. Sessions are led by trained practitioners. For those seeking a more individually tailored approach, we offer FOCCUS which provides an insight into the strengths of the relationship and highlights those areas for further discussion.
The workshops tend to focus on the skills couples need to sustain relationships whereas FOCCUS looks at attitudes that the couple bring as individuals to the relationship.
SERVICES NATIONWIDE
National telephone helpline
In early September 2010, Marriage Care began partnering with Parentline Plus, the leading national charity providing help and support to anyone caring for children. They are a natural partner for us as the strength of the adult relationship is the most important factor in providing a good foundation for families. This welcome new development meant we could extend our previously time-limited helpline to a genuine 24/7 service. We can now provide a national listening and information service for anyone facing relationship or family difficulties. Callers to the service can either be referred to a local Marriage Care Centre for counselling, or on to another organisation for further help and information.
OTHER SERVICES
Relationship education
To help schools fulfil the teaching requirements of the national curriculum, Marriage Care has developed relationship education material for use with Key Stages three and four, which is particularly suitable for students studying personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and citizenship. This material, Foundations for a Good Life, is freely downloadable from our website.
3.Service Manager job description
JOB TITLE:Service Manager, National Telephone Appointments Service
RESPONSIBLE TO: Director of Centre Development
PURPOSE OF JOB:
To provide the overall management of the National Telephone Appointments Service and to be responsible for and provide leadership to the team engaged in running the service.
DIMENSIONS OF JOB:
RELATIONSHIPS:
Internal:
To liaise directly with the Director of Centre Development on all matters relating to the management and running of the National Telephone Appointments Service.
To co-operate with other members of the staff team in the service.
External:
To develop and maintain relationships with the Marriage Care Centres around England and Wales.
To liaise and work with all those persons who contact Marriage Care seeking an appointment for one of the organisation’s services.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Work with the team staffing the National Telephone Appointments Service:
Meet customer service standards
Ensure that the service is adequately staffed at all times
Monitor the work of the team and provide regular supervision and support to team members
Ensure that the office is fit for purpose alerting Director of Centre Development as appropriate to matters that need attention
Carry out appraisals annually of all team members and review performance monthly
Meet health and safety responsibilities
Identify and implement service improvements relating to efficiency and customer service
Be involved in the recruitment and training of new staff.
Work with Director of Centre Development:
Liaise on all matters related to the management and efficient running of the service
Meet regularly to monitor the development of the service
Advise of all changes in staffing and the needs of staff
Provide regular, monthly statistical information in relation to the counselling service provided by Marriage Care and the operation of the appointments service
Be involved in the longer-term planning for the service
Be involved in the construction of a budget for the running of the service.
Work with Centres
Ensure that all practitioners are provided with a common and agreed process for booking appointments
Liaise with Centre Heads and the Director of Counselling and Supervision on any issues that cause concern in relation to practitioners
Set up new counsellors and centres to use the service.
General:
Work effectively and co-operatively with all of the staff of Marriage Care.
Answer the telephone to general enquiries.
Help out with work commitments where possible when a member of the team is sick or on annual leave
Deal with queries from Centres about the service and related matters
From time to time, to carry out other tasks as directed by the Director of Centre Development.
4.Service Manager person specification
EXPERIENCE
Experience of working with Microsoft Office and Windows programs.
Managing a small team, or equivalent
Meeting customer service standards of an operation
Ideally, contact centre experience at supervisor level
Ideally, an understanding of working with volunteers and the issues related to this.
KNOWLEDGE
Some knowledge of the structure and operation of the voluntary sector and its support services.
The operation of computers sufficient to perform the job efficiently.
Understanding of general administrative processes involved in the smooth running of an office.
Appointments procedures, and electronic processes preferably
Understanding of the role of operational processes in providing robust statistical information
OPERATIONAL
Ability to motivate and manage individual team members and promote effective team working
Aware and sensitive to equal opportunities issues
Ability to work on own initiative.
Ability to work confidentially with members of the public and maintain confidentiality at all times.
Ability to work as a member of a team and liaise with other departments of Marriage Care in a flexible way.
Ability to liaise effectively with members of the public, volunteers and external agencies
Ability to develop and implement effective operational processes across a team and critically evaluate new ideas
Attention to detail
QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING
Keyboard skills
Education to at least A level standard
GCSE in Mathematics
5.Appointments Administrator job description
Post Title: Appointments Administrator, National Telephone Appointment Service
Job Purpose: To work as part of a team of six (including the service manager) providing an excellent quality appointment service for relationship counselling in Marriage Care centres in England and Wales
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
To provide a courteous and efficient telephone answering service, handling calls sensitively from clients who may be in distress
To arrange counselling appointments in accordance with service standards
To maintain the appointments database and other administrative systems and documents according to service procedures
To maintain absolute client confidentiality
To attend relevant meetings, including team meetings and individual performance meetings with the service manager
To support the efficient, effective, economic and safe use of resources within the framework of the charity’s guidelines.
To work within the framework of Marriage Care’s policies and values
To undertake appropriate training in connection with the post.
To perform any other duties as required by the Service Manager which are compatible with the nature of the post.
6.Appointments Administrator person specification
EXPERIENCE
Office experience – at least six months’ experience of general office duties
Familiarity with the voluntary/community sector (desirable)
KNOWLEDGE
Good understanding of customer service
Good geographical knowledge of towns and cities in England and Wales
Understanding of the need for client confidentiality
OPERATIONAL
Basic IT skills including Word, e-mail, data entry and use of databases.
Good standard of written English including spelling
Accurate typing and data entry
Good team worker
Resourceful
Mature outlook to be able to deal with clients in distress, diplomatic and courteous
Able to manage alone if need arises
Accepting of direction and knowing when to seek direction
Conscientious time keeper
Clearand pleasant voice, easily comprehensible on the phone
QUALIFICATIONS & TRAINING
Good standard of education - at least five GCSEs
7.Service Manager terms and conditions
Salary
Salary range £19,765 to £25,707pro rata.
Pension
Marriage Care will make a contribution into any pension scheme up to 5% of annual salary
Location
Huntingdon House
278 – 290 Huntingdon Street
Nottingham
NG1 3LY
Working hours
Normal working hours are 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday. Flexibility in working time, including working extra hours, is essential to meet the needs of the service.
Term of appointment
Permanent
8.Appointments Administrator terms and conditions
Salary
Salary from £14,706 pro rata.
Pension
Marriage Care will make a contribution into any pension scheme up to 5% of annual salary
Location
Huntingdon House
278 – 290 Huntingdon Street
Nottingham
NG1 3LY
Working hours
Normal working hours are 18 hpw between 0900 and 1820 in a variable shift pattern over four days. Flexibility in working time, including working extra hours, is essential to meet the needs of the service.
Term of appointment
Permanent
9.Application form
Private & Confidential
Application for the post of:
Where did you see this vacancy (please be specific):
Personal Information
Please supply the following information
SURNAME / FIRST NAMESPresent Address:
Tel No:
Email address:
1.EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Please indicate your education and training experiences, with dates (most recent first); highlight any particular course that you feel is relevant to the advertised post.
Dates / Institute/ Establishment P/t or F/time Qualifications2.EMPLOYMENT
Please state your full employment history, with dates, highlighting any post or projects that you feel are relevant to the advertised post.
DatesFrom To / Employment (most recent first) / Salary on leaving
3.
Please tell us about your responsibilities and achievements in your current position.4.
Specific ExperienceOutline any experience and involvement in
- working with and motivating volunteers
- prioritising and organising workload
- working on your own
5
SummaryPlease set out your case to persuade us that you are the right person for this job. You should use the Person Specification and Job Description to demonstrate your applicability for this post (Please use no more than 500 words).
6
Medical History(i) Do you have a health problem or disability which you feel is relevant to this
appointment?
(ii) In the past 12 months how many days have you been absent from work through
sickness?
8.
If you were offered and accepted this post, at what date would you be available to start work?REFEREES
Please supply the names of two people who can be approached for references.
One of these should be your current or most recent employer.
1.Name: 2. Name:
Position: Position:
Address: Address
Day tel no: Day tel no:
Evening tel no: Evening tel no:
Taking up of references
If you are short listed your referees will be approached and responses expected before interview. If contacting any of the referees creates a serious problem for you, please indicate this:
Signature and Certification
I certify that the information provided by me in this application is correct to the best of my knowledge.
Signed: ......
Date: ......
When completed, this form should be returned to: Angela Dunlea by email - with the equal opportunities monitoring form below.
10.Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form
Marriage Care is an equal opportunities employer. In the interests of monitoring our recruitment procedures, we would be grateful if you could return this form to us. We separate this part of the form from your application form and it will not form any part of the selection procedure.