1. Suffolk County Council - Beacon House, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 5PB / On-site
2. £23,893 per annum (pro rata if part time)
3. 37 hours per week - Flexible working options available
4. Permanent
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Suffolk County Council (SCC)Customer First Team as an Independence and Wellbeing Advisor working from Beacon House in Ipswich.
5. Would you like to work in an incredibly varied, challenging and rewarding role?
6. Are you looking to start a career in Social Work?
7. Are you passionate about making a positive difference in the lives of children and adults in Suffolk?
Your role
As an Independence and Wellbeing Advisor you will be the first point of contact for social care enquiries relating to Suffolk residents, including Adult services, Children and Young People’s services and Mental Health referrals. This will include, managing different contact channels (telephone, email, webchat), dealing with a diverse range of individuals with a variety of queries and demands of differing complexity.
You will be:
8. the first point of contact for social care enquiries relating to Suffolk residents, including Adult Services, Children and Young People’s Services and Mental Health referrals
9. expected to manage across different contact channels (telephone, email, webchat) and multi-task while providing exceptional customer service in a pressurised target-driven environment
10. responsible for dealing with a wide range of people with a variety of queries and demands of differing complexity. Some contacts will be from vulnerable individuals, and you will be expected to use your skills and knowledge to support customers to achieve the best outcome, in line with Suffolk’s organisational values, drivers and operating models.
11. responsible for a seamless transition between day and night services enabling the council to fulfil its statutory duties to vulnerable adults, children and families.
This is an exciting opportunity for anyone wanting to gain experience within Social Care, this is an opportunity to develop knowledge and support those in the community.
Your responsibilities
12. To communicate effectively with customers by demonstrating listening skills and using appropriate questioning techniques to promptly and accurately identify the reason for the customer contacting social care
13. Maintain effective use of customer information systems and databases to ensure high-quality and accurate recording and data quality
14. Work quickly and effectively to ensure information is passed to the appropriate team or worker as soon as possible
15. Provide accurate and effective advice and guidance to customers, always seeking clarification where unsure, in order to provide accurate advice.
You will need:
16. Good level of literacy and numeracy skills
17. Evidence of continued professional development
18. Relevant compute literacy (Explorer, Chrome, Word, Excel, Outlook)
19. The ability to problem-solve and define a problem systematically
20. To demonstrate understanding of data protection and safeguarding legislation
21. The ability to clarify tasks and prioritise work to achieve deadlines
22. The ability to make decisions in pressurised situations.
You can view a full list of requirements in the If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.
The team
Customer First works as a team to support one another, we work together to ensure a high standard of service is achieved. We have a variety of individuals within the team at differing stages in their careers and we can support career development opportunities.
We will offer an in-depth training plan, both online and face-to-face. You will be supported by a mentor throughout the start of employment as well as a direct line manager. Team Leaders will be available at all times should you have any questions.
Shaping Careers and Learning
We want to champion talent and seek to continuously develop everyone’s professional knowledge, potential and job satisfaction. Through accessible learning opportunities and clear career pathways we aim to identify individual strengths, diversify skill sets and enable people, from all walks of life, to build influential and impactful careers.
Empowering Everyone
We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from the Asian community as these groups are currently underrepresented in this service.