Request for Support Officer

The starting salary for this role is £26,080 per annum, based on working 36 hours per week.

We are looking for an enthusiastic individual, who is passionate about providing excellent customer service, to work in our Children’s Request for Support Team.

The Request for Support Team is part of Surrey Children's Services Single Point of Access (C- SPA), the 'front door' to Children's Services. You will be working in a fast-paced environment, where the diverse experience and backgrounds of children and families are recognised and respected.

As the public voice of the Council you will have an extremely important role to play, which demands a positive and proactive attitude. You will provide high quality and efficient support, to enable the smooth running of the Request for Support Team. You will handle calls from members of public and professionals who are requesting support for children, taking accurate and pertinent information in order to identify risk, to signpost where necessary, and to progress to the most appropriate services in a timely manner.

Typical work you will undertake in this role includes inputting electronically received information into appropriate databases and providing information to professional agencies where appropriate adhering to internal data protection policies. Alongside this you will triage all incoming requests by email from partner agencies, identifying appropriate pathways based on operational guidance and Surrey’s Effective Family Resilience Levels of Need Threshold.

You will be operating in sometimes challenging and emotionally charged situations; therefore you must have the resilience to cope with sensitive and at times disturbing information and be able to prioritise and remain calm whilst working under pressure.

About you

We are looking for an individual who is highly organised, a confident communicator with a professional and flexible approach to work. You will have the ability to interact positively with families and professionals by putting them at ease and displaying understanding and empathy. You will have the resilience to cope with sensitive and at times disturbing information, understanding your responsibility to safeguard confidential information and respect for the privacy of families.

To be shortlisted to interview your CV and personal statement will clearly evidence:

• Experience of providing high levels of customer care and professionalism
• An Understanding of Safeguarding policies and procedures
• An ability to follow process and procedure, and identify risk
• Excellent IT skills and ability to use databases to a high standard of accuracy
• A strong eye for detail
• Ability to work effectively and flexibly and as part of a team
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills

The team works from our Dakota office in Brooklands, Weybridge for at least 2 days per week and this would be required following the completion of your induction.

At Surrey, our values and behaviours are just as important as our skills and abilities. They shape who we are as an organisation. Find out more about the values we follow.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on the 21st August 2022.

Interview dates to be confirmed. 

A basic DBS check will be required for this role.

Contact Details

For an informal discussion please contact Claire Thomas by e-mail claire.thomas@surreycc.gov.uk.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Benefits

From flexible working to job sharing (where possible) we are committed to providing a healthy work life balance. A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 26 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service, a generous local government salary related pension, as well as the option to join our car lease scheme. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit MyBenefits for Surrey County Council staff.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer of first choice reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all under represented groups.