Job Details
Job Description
JOB TITLE: Director, Adult Social Care
GRADE: Divisional Director 1
POST NUMBER: M030000001
DIRECTORATE: Health, Adults and Community
SERVICE: Adult Social Care
RESPONSIBLE TO Corporate Director, Health, Adults and Community
RESPONSIBLE FOR Strategic planning and integrated delivery of strengths- based practice within all adult social care services with a focus on self-directed support, personalisation, inclusion and tackling inequalities. Services include initial assessment, hospital social work, safeguarding, reablement, occupational therapy, telecare, brokerage, direct payments, longer-term support, and services for people with learning disabilities and those with mental health problems.
JOB SUMMARY:
To provide strategic direction, corporate leadership and advice on all matters relating to adult social care delivery and strengths-based practice. In doing so, ensure that statutory requirements are met and that accelerated and sustained improvements in performance against Council targets are achieved.
Lead the delivery of strengths based practice through the development of a service culture that is person-centred, inclusive, preventative and enabling; focusing on what is strong
rather than what’s wrong and ensuring that residents are enabled to maintain their independence and live in their own home for as long as possible.
Develop services through engagement and co-production (the upper levels of the ‘ladder of co-production’) as much as possible and engage with residents and those who use social care services and their carers/families on a regular basis.
Ensure our services are accessible and welcoming to all who need to use them and ensure the diversity and inclusion is well embedded in our approach and our services.
Actively work to tackle racism, bias, and micro aggressions in line with our commitments on anti-racist leadership.
Formulate and implement departmental priorities, initiatives, policies, and procedures to bring about improvements to service delivery, performance, and quality of life.
Promote partnership and integrated service provision with residents and carers, voluntary and community sector services and other independent providers, NHS partners, other Council services including commissioning colleagues, other public service agencies and local networks.
Ensure that all services are person-centred, promoting independence, opportunity and choice within statutory requirements and the Council’s agreed policies and strategies.
Ensure that high quality services are provided through the application of innovative approaches and high standards of customer care, seeking to deliver performance in all areas that is as good as or better than any other local authority in the country.
Ensure all services are delivered in line with the TOWER values with a particular focus on Respect and kindness given the personal nature of adult social care services.
Ensure all services have effective mechanisms in place to safeguard vulnerable adults.
ROLE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Ensure that the support needs of vulnerable adults in the borough are known and that their needs are met.
2. Responsible and accountable for ensuring that all activities within the service comply with the duties and requirements placed on them by all relevant legislation.
3. Ensure that all services are person-centred, promoting independence, opportunity, and choice, within the resources available, statutory requirements, and the Council’s agreed eligibility criteria.
4. Ensure that care and support services are experienced by service users as ‘joined up’ across organisational boundaries.
5. Ensure effective joint working with other relevant services both within the Council and in other partner organisations.
6. Promote strengths-based support to vulnerable adults, in line with the Care Act and good practice guidance and ensure that universal services across all sectors are drawn upon to maximise independence and quality of life.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITIES
7. Actively contribute to the leadership of the Council in a way that promotes a ‘one organisation’ approach.
8. Develop and maintain positive relationships with elected members to ensure the Council and directorate strategic priorities are effectively implemented and to support Members to undertake their strategic monitoring role.
9. To promote equality among all staff and ensure that services are delivered in a non-discriminatory way, that is inclusive of disadvantaged groups.
10. Support organisational change and learning, ensuring appropriate systems of performance and development, communication and engagement, quality measures, monitoring and review are in place for all services and the workforce that delivers them.
11. To promote sustainability including encouraging a culture of innovation and accountability amongst staff.
12. Participate in the required rota as directed by the Chief Executive/Corporate Director to ensure emergency planning and business contingency arrangements are in place throughout the Council.
13. Deputise on a rota basis for the Corporate Director, Health, Adults and Community.
PEOPLE
14. Work collaboratively with the Council’s partners to inform strategic decision making sure that this supports the delivery of specific corporate programmes and the community strategy.
15. Establish clarity around expected outcomes and standards, providing clear lines of accountability and delegated authority.
16. Establish and promote a culture of learning and workforce planning that enables staff to realise their potential, manage their careers and therefore improve outcomes for Tower Hamlets residents.
FINANCE
17. Effectively manage budgets and income delivery targets ensuring that resources are deployed in line with agreed priorities. Ensure that opportunities for efficiencies are systematically explored and developed and drive down spend where appropriate.
18. Hold managers to account to provide services that are delivered or procured that represent value for money.
SERVICE
19. Actively consider new and innovative ways of delivering services that provide high quality and good value for money.
20. Drive the implementation of consistently high-quality service standards and levels of customer service.
21. Continuously measure and improve customer service processes to improve the consistency, quality, and efficiency of services.
22. Ensure there is effective integration of related services within the directorate and across the Council, ensuring the contribution of partner organisations,
PERFORMANCE
23. Set strategic objectives and lead delivery through robust business and financial planning.
24. Hold managers and partners to account for the delivery of targets.
25. Manage, monitor, and control externalised contracts effectively ensuring that Service Level Agreements, service standards and contractual obligations are met.
26. Ensure that all services within own area of responsibility, including those provided by external contractors have robust business continuity plans and contribute to the discharge of the Council’s responsibilities.
27. Lead on borough-wide and strategic initiatives collaborating with internal/external stakeholders to deliver cross Council projects.
Person Specification for the Post of Divisional Director, Adult Social Care
Knowledge & Skills
Ability to balance strategic leadership and direction with effective operational management.
Ability to foster an open and trusting culture with the ability to lead change through others and inspire high levels of performance.
Ability to apply discretion and initiative in dealing with complex issues.
Understanding, skills, and passion to lead, maintain and develop a diverse workforce, tackle racism and micro- aggressions and support the learning and development of staff from black and minority ethnic backgrounds to progress within the service/sector.
Authoritative and influential with high developed relationship management and networking skills, and the ability to foster joint working across service and organizational boundaries for the benefit of residents and communities in LBTH.
Naturally engaging with an ability to inspire and command respect, trust and confidence of colleagues, Council Members, and other stakeholders.
Excellent negotiation and influencing skills, able to persuade others to alternative points of view.
Ability to adopt best practice, modern, innovative working practices, which enable the delivery of corporate priorities.
Customer oriented (internal and external facing), with well-developed networking and partnership skills, able to build relationships with a range of stakeholders.
Significant financial and commercial awareness and effective budgeting and financial management skills.
Ability to maintain a clear overview of the issues affecting the Council in general and the service in particular.
Political sensitivity with an ability to make progress in complex policy areas and a strong belief in the value of local democracy and accountability.
Commitment to LBTH Council’s values and behaviours and equal opportunity policy, with an ability to demonstrate personal leadership on the importance of diversity.
Qualifications & Experience
Relevant specialist and/or generalist degree(s)
Qualified Social Worker
Substantial experience, evidenced by a solid track record of success, leading high-quality services
A successful track record of engaging effectively with others at a senior and strategic level while building sustainable productive partnerships with key stakeholders
Experience of leading on new ways of working and delivery of culture change in a large complex organisation.
Significant experience of successfully leading and embedding financially affordably sustainable change, through support of others in complex and diverse organisations with measurable improvements
Deep understanding of the external commercial and political environment and ability to translate that into organisational actions
