Job Description
The starting salary for this position is £29,697 per annum for a 36-hour working week (prorated for part-time staff).
Join our dedicated team at Surrey County Council's Adult Social Care Information & Advice Service as an Information Officer!
Rewards and Benefits
* 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
* Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
* An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
* Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
* Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
* A generous local government salary related pension
* Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
* 2 paid volunteering days per year
* Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
About the role
The Adult Social Care Information & Advice Service serves as the first point of contact, our 'front door', for anyone seeking support from Surrey's Adult Services. In this dynamic and fast-paced role, you'll handle a diverse and engaging range of enquiries. While the environment can be demanding, it's also highly rewarding. You'll be trusted to make informed, independent decisions and encouraged to bring your energy, ideas, and initiative to help continuously enhance the quality of our service.
In this role, you'll respond to enquiries from both the public and professionals seeking support for adults, offering clear and comprehensive information about local care and support services. Your guidance will help individuals understand how adult social care works in their area, explore available care and funding options, and navigate the process of accessing the right support.
Shortlisting Criteria
To be considered for an interview, your CV and separate personal statement will need to outline and evidence your previous skills and experience with regards to the following areas. Please note, we have provided context to demonstrate how this will relate to the role:
* Excellent communication skills: The ability to listen actively, speak clearly, and convey information effectively, (even under stress or when upset by graphic situations you may hear or read about), and providing reassurance to callers, managing contact with professionalism and composure.
* Information gathering: Maintain clear and concise records of all interactions, accurately recording information to assess need and use sound judgment to signpost callers to the most appropriate services or support pathways.
* Empathy and patience: The ability to connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds and circumstances, especially those who are experiencing distress. Officers must convey information effectively and confidently, including managing expectations, and remain calm under pressure when handling emotionally charged interactions.
* Resilience: The role is extremely rewarding, but also comes with some challenges. For example, you will be taking calls from members of the public who could be distressed, angry, experiencing a mental health crisis or reporting abuse. We ask you to think carefully about how this might impact on your wellbeing and especially how you will cope, during and following these types of calls.
* Strong decision-making skills: The capacity to assess situations quickly, make informed decisions, and act decisively. You will need to be highly organised, able to prioritise and manage multiple tasks effectively and accurately. You must be able to work independently with minimal supervision, and make appropriate and safe decisions under pressure.
* A background in customer service or people-facing roles and experience talking on the phone: You will need to be able to work with people from all walks of life and have the ability to engage in conversations politely and effectively.
* IT literacy: Typing skills, including the ability to type and navigate computer systems efficiently, are crucial. Information must be recorded accurately.
* An understanding of social care and health issues, with a basic awareness of public sector and voluntary agencies.
* Working hours flexibility
Please note, as part of our commitment to serving the people of Surrey, you will need to remain flexible, which may include staying later to respond to incoming calls regarding abuse and neglect, and to complete any necessary handover work to our out-of-hours team following those interactions.
The job advert closes at 23:59 on 13th July 2025 with interviews planned for 22nd and 23rd July. The interview will include a 10-15 minute presentation in a format of your choice on a topic shared in advance.
A basic DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) will be required for this role.
Our Commitment
Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:
* The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
* The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form
Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.
We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.