Purpose of the post
•Ensure that the people of Gwynedd are at the heart of everything we do.
•Support the Head of Department to work with the Council's Management Team, heads of other departments, elected members and external partners in order to ensure that the Council provides services of the highest standards within the possible resources for the residents of Gwynedd, and ensure that the service reflects the Council’s corporate policies and strategies.
•Represent the Head of Department at meetings and events within the Council and in external forums as well as being an active member of the corporate Senior Managers Group.
•Promote suitable performance management processes which demonstrate clear results in order to identify fields for improvement and obstacles to overcome and encourage continuous improvement within the services where a direct overview is maintained.
•Secure definite results when making the best use of the Council’s resources whilst providing the best possible service to the customer, in accordance with the Council’s priorities and respond directly to local needs.
•Be a Member of the departmental Management Team and undertake higher responsibility and overview of some of the Department's services.
•Undertake overview functions within the Department on behalf of the Head of Department in the fields of:
•IAA Service.
•Operational Services
•Preventative Service
•Missing Children Returning Home Interviews Service
•PLO Arrangements and Court Work
•Parenting Strategy
•Develop the Emrallt Team Strategy
Responsibility for functions
•Line Management of Managers (5 Managers, 2 officers).
•Budget of 2 million within the areas of responsibility.
•Various external grants.
Main duties
Service Provision
•Encourage and support Service Managers and their teams to ensure the provision of high-quality services to meet the customers’ needs within the available resources.
•Collaborate with other services and agencies to ensure an integrated approach to delivering services.
•Develop operational policies.
•Take a leading and practical role in implementing strategic change.
Leadership
As one of the Department leaders and a member of the Senior Managers Group:
•Lead, promote and develop staff.
•Lead the transformation agenda.
•Develop and promote the culture of the establishment.
•Collaborate with internal and external partners.
•Promote a culture of continuous improvement.
Planning and Reviewing
•Take a prominent role in the context of business planning and reviewing.
•Facilitate internal change and review/develop services.
•Review and challenge the performance of services within the Department.
Corporate Agenda
•Transition between strategic and operational policies.
•Promote a culture of one Council.
•Contribute to strategic development.
•Agree and deliver the milestones of a manageable programme.
•Promote and implement corporate policies and priorities, e.g. crosscutting themes convey a sense of collaboration for a single objective.
KEY COMPETENCIES
(in addition to the Council’s other corporate competencies)
Working within the political dimension
•create effective connections/enable appropriate working across political boundaries.
•maintain an effective relationship with elected members, with the region and with the Government.
Lead on changing and developing the organisation
•operate consistently with the Council's basic values when developing the culture.
•work with uncertainty, ambiguity and the inevitable nature of change.
•develop the appropriate use of power, empowering staff and Managers to take decisions that they can defend.
•contribute and take joint ownership of the Department and Council's development.
Maintain a personal viewpoint and self-knowledge
•be prepared to listen to, and appreciate the views of others and recognise their contribution to the improvement and change agenda.
•maintain belief or faith in himself/herself.
•developed personal resilience, sustainability and emotional awareness.
•maintain a sense of humour.
Develop and enable effective external partnerships and relationships
•champion the local authority, local government and local democracy.
•coordinate effective public and private partnerships for strategic developments and delivery of services.
•work with other communities and agencies.
•work internally for the Council, regionally and nationally.
•use the press and media effectively to have an appropriate profile.
Monitor strategic and long-term issues
•look to the future to create awareness of potential situations.
•develop, maintain and promote strategic vision/opinion for the establishment and the local area.
•awareness of the establishment’s strategic ability.
Leadership and Performance Management
•support a culture which focuses on performing well, innovating and serving our customers.
•identify and resolve situations of underperformance.
•continuous improvement across every service field.
Leading and Managing People
•Inspire and encourage teams and individuals.
•Provide direction and feedback.
•Create an environment of respect.
•Transfer vision effectively to teams and individuals.
•Delegate work effectively.
•Acknowledge and understand others’ responses to specific situations whilst focusing on providing services.
•Ensure a safe environment for team members to develop by taking risks.
•Identify and understand the potential harm when prompt attention is not given to cases of conflict.
Communication
•Share and listen to information, opinion and ideas.
•Communicate effectively, orally and in writing.
•Understand that good communication can be a powerful tool to increase incentive.
•Choose and use appropriate methods of communication and media for a range of audiences.
•Have effective interpersonal communication skills.
•Understand the risks of working from presumptions.
•Appreciate the feelings of others and understand the importance of inclusion and consultation.
•Able to communicate effectively in Welsh and English.
Self-management
•Proactive.
•Take responsibility for actions.
•Provide stability in periods of change.
•Have high levels of self-awareness.
•Demonstrate honesty.
•Emotionally resilient and aware.
•Prioritise tasks and make effective use of time.
•Proving public value.
MAIN AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
The following gives an outline of the main duties and responsibilities involved with this post. It is not a detailed description, and the duties of the job could vary from time to time, although that would not change the fundamental features of the work or the amount of responsibility involved.
•Plan and monitor to ensure a high-quality service and continuous improvement.
•Provide value for money by purchasing, prioritising, managing and monitoring effective use of resources and recognising that knowledge, ability and skills are also resources.
•Make things happen by taking meaningful decisions and by responding effectively to priorities as they change.
•Understand and work effectively within the Council’s political framework and be aware of the issues that impact service provision at different levels. Foster links with others to benefit from best practice in order to improve provision for service users.
•Act as the Direct Line Manager to Service Managers; Referrals Team Manager (IAA), Areas Operational Teams Managers, Team Around the Family Manager, Families First Monitoring Officers, Families First Project Leader. Returning home interviews officer. Co-management Emrallt Team Manager. These service fields may vary.
•Report to the Head of Children and Supporting Families Department as required on matters of the workforce and surveys relevant to the Services (some registered fields).
•Host accountability arrangements in relation to the services to ensure achievement against the Business Plans and Self-evaluation Action Plans.
•Assist the Head of Department to ensure the accountability of the relevant service manager for fulfilling their role to the expected standard by challenging appropriately and ensure that they act appropriately in order to achieve the best possible level of performance and take appropriate action when this is not happening.
•Lead, develop, evaluate and encourage officers to work to their full potential, setting suitable targets and objectives for them and measure achievement against recent trends (via the appropriate managers).
•Ensure there are suitable and effective performance management systems in place for the units managed and that the objectives and measures of the business plan are delivered and are monitored regularly.
•Lead on developing local strategies, schemes and policies in the areas of Fostering, Residential, After-care, Disabled Children, Autism and other relevant areas. Contribute towards developing the national strategy, schemes, programmes and policies in the same work areas.
•Create working methods and a culture that is guided by performance, ensure that appropriate work plans, supervision and staff systems are in place to deliver the objectives of the Department and Council, and improve provision for the services' users.
•Solve problems that managers cannot solve including complaints where managers were unable to solve them.
•Responsibility for leading the transformation process and manage changes within the Service Units.
•Identify and lead on efficiencies / cuts opportunities within the relevant fields, and lead on managing change when achieving efficiencies and cuts to services.
•Ensure that the principles of Ffordd Gwynedd filter through the service.
•Ensure that the corporate policies filter through the service.
•Assist the Head of Department to prepare the Department's Business Plan, and arrangements on departmental Challenge Performance reporting.
•Assist the Head of Department to host the Departmental Risk Register.
•Assist the Head of Department to host the Service Continuity Plan / Emergency Plan.
•Undertake any other equivalent and reasonable duty which corresponds with the salary and responsibility level of the post and which is allocated occasionally by the Head of Department.
•Responsibility for self-development.
•Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council’s Health and Safety Policy.
•Operate within the Council’s policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
•Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council’s information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
•Commitment to reducing the Council’s carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint.
•Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
•Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.
Special circumstances
•The need to work unsociable hours from time to time and contribute to support the Out of Hours Social Work Team (Night Team) in accordance with the Head of Service's request.