Directorate: Children and Family Services Section: Children’s Social Care Location: Civic Centre Grade: Level 6 Salary: £28,598 – £31,022 Hours: 37 hours – Full Time This advert is open to both Internal and External applicants. Join Our Team as a Partnership and Planning Assistant We have an exciting opportunity to join our dynamic and dedicated Children’s Partnership and Planning Team in Stoke-on-Trent as a Partnership and Planning Assistant. These roles offer a unique chance to contribute to some of the most critical areas of children’s services, supporting strategic initiatives that improve outcomes for children and young people across the city. About the Role As a Partnership and Planning Assistant, you will play a vital role in supporting a wide range of high-profile activities across the Children’s Partnership and Planning Team. These include: Ofsted inspections and engagement meetings Peer Reviews and Department for Education monitoring Children’s Services Board meetings Monthly Children’s Services newsletters – assisting with coordination, content collation, and production Bi-monthly ‘Let’s Talk’ staff engagement sessions Annual Children’s Services staff conference You will also provide key administrative and coordination support to the Stoke-on-Trent Safeguarding Children’s Partnership Board, helping to ensure the smooth delivery of its strategic priorities. This includes: Forward planning and diary management Minute-taking and action tracking Event organisation and logistics Supporting partnership communications and stakeholder engagement Your ability to work with initiative, communicate clearly with multiple stakeholders, and stay organised under pressure will be essential to ensuring successful and impactful partnership work. Role Options We are recruiting for 2 posts: Full-Time Post (Monday–Friday) This post will have a broader remit, supporting the full range of activities listed above, including Ofsted and DfE-related work, board meetings, and internal staff engagement events. Part-Time Post (Flexible Hours) This post will primarily focus on supporting the Stoke-on-Trent Safeguarding Children’s Partnership Board, with the opportunity to assist on an ad-hoc basis with wider team activities. Working days and hours are flexible and can be discussed to suit the needs of the business. This is more than just an administrative role; it’s a chance to be a behind the scenes force for positive change. Your work will help drive collaboration between key safeguarding partners and contribute to the continuous improvement of children’s services in Stoke-on-Trent. Strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and confident communication are key to success in this role. For more information or an informal conversation, please contact: Emily Maxfield, Senior Partnership and Planning Officer on Emily.Maxfield@stoke.gov.uk or Rob Taylor, Business Manager for Stoke-on-Trent Safeguarding Children’s Partnership on Robert.Taylor@stoke.gov.uk We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and we expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment. This position is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the successful applicant will be subject to a criminal record check from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Please note that if an employee who is currently at risk of redundancy within the organisation applies for this vacancy their application will receive priority. If this happens you will be advised accordingly. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we believe our strength comes from the diversity of our community, and we want our workforce to reflect that. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. We understand that some people, especially those from underrepresented or marginalised backgrounds, may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet all of the listed requirements. If this role interests you and you think you could be a good fit, we encourage you to apply. We are proud of what makes each of us unique and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels included, can be themselves, and can succeed together. To Apply - please visit our website https://webrecruitment.stoke.gov.uk/wrl/ If you have any queries or want an application form in another format, please email recruitment@stoke.gov.uk or call us on 01782 238189.