Job title: Interim Head of Service – Housing, Hardships and Welfare Support Services

Purpose of Post

As an active member of the senior officer team, support the Director in implementing the vision, strategic and core values of the Division and provide a clear sense of direction, optimism and purpose across the service.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic lead for the following service areas:

• Housing Strategy – lead the development and implementation of the Housing Strategy working with partners to ensure that partnership approach is effective and the council undertakes its housing duties
• Housing Advice and Homelessness – local authority statutory duties in accordance with the Housing Act 1996 and the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 including.
  cross departmental co-ordination of the council’s strategies that contribute to the Housing Strategy and Plan
• Early Years – local authority statutory duties in accordance with the Childcare Act 2006 and 2016 including local delivery of the national early years education and childcare ‘offer’
• Poverty – lead for the department’s anti-poverty agenda including strategies to alleviate hardship and mitigate the impact of poverty including welfare, benefits, advice and hardship services such as Local Welfare Assistance, Discretionary Housing Payments and other associated support schemes
• Asylum Seekers and Refugees – lead for the international Resettlement Programme for refugees and support services for people from abroad that make Hartlepool their home
• Project management – leading on new and emerging departmental projects, establishing project teams and plans, deliverability schedules and associated performance management requirements

MAIN DUTIES

1. Responsible for the strategic oversight and provision of all service areas as outlined in Key Responsibilities above.
2. Oversight and leadership of a valued, confident, developed, empowered and innovative workforce.
3. Seek out innovative ways of integrating services within the division to achieve efficiencies and improve quality of service delivery.
4. Developing, securing and maintaining effective partnerships that support both the Division and the wider council’s work.
5. Ensure the provision of and commissioning of safe, effective and high quality services that are responsive to local need and are provided within a clear quality framework compliant with statutory duties.
6. Ensure employees feel valued and understand their role in achieving the Council’s vision and objectives in a supportive and learning environment which protects and enhances their personal well-being.
7. Work with and influence relevant national and regional organisations, partners and stakeholders in a spirit of partnership and collaboration and develop mutually effective working relationships.
8. Promote and undertake cross organisational team working.
9. Develop and articulate the Division’s vision to ensure its delivery to meet statutory obligations, policy objectives and value for money.
10. Responsible for long term strategic service planning and delivery, ensuring efficient and effective use of the available resources (financial, human and physical) and the commitment to improve within a whole systems approach.
11. Responsible for maximising the availability of all funding sources, including gaining external funding to enhance service delivery and continuously striving to reduce service costs.
12. Responsible for the co-ordination of delivery of services, ensuring they are undertaken in a responsive manner.
13. Ensure that synergies are considered across services to ensure maximum effectiveness.
14. Responsible for maximising the extent to which services are delivered directly to the user.
15. Responsible for ensuring the appropriate risk management arrangements for the service are in place.
16. Engage with and develop relationships with elected members, clients and customers.
17. Plan, manage and be accountable for the service business plans and work programmes, ensuring they are effective with specific measurable outcomes.
18. Responsible for maintaining and improving the quality of the service.
19. Lead on initiating and developing policies for the whole service area.
20. Maintain up to date detailed knowledge of legislation and national policy and to ensure both the divisional management team and the service are briefed on changes.
21. Continuously use business process re-engineering to rationalise and reduce bureaucracy and duplication.
22. Ensure equalities and diversity issues are effectively assessed, planned and implemented.
23. Act as a design consultant/change agent working with others to develop innovative solutions to best meet local needs and learning from best practice elsewhere.
24. Provide technical advice and is the principal source of professional advice in relation to the service.

The candidates must have:

• Degree level qualification in a subject relevant to one or more of the posts’ main responsibilities: this could include social policy, mental health, psychology, housing.
• Evidence of recent professional development.
• Proven experience of delivering a diverse range of services to vulnerable adults, children, young people and families
• Management experience of a multi disciplinary team
• Proven ability to work in partnership with a range of organisations
• Experience of planning and developing services that have delivered high quality outcomes for adults, children and families
• Knowledge of arrangements for the provision of services to children and young people including knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance, codes of practice, government policy, practice guidance and current initiatives
• Knowledge of arrangements for the provision of housing advice and homelessness services to vulnerable adults including knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance, codes of practice, government policy, practice guidance and current initiatives ]
• Knowledge of arrangements for the provision of services to asylum seekers, refugees and persons from abroad including knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance, codes of practice, government policy, practice guidance and current initiatives
• Knowledge of the drivers of poverty and destitution and methods to alleviate impact
• Knowledge of and ability to develop quality assurance processes
• Ability to devise and implement local policies and procedures
• Ability to communicate effectively and influence others
• Excellent presentation and communication skills both oral and written and skills in Information and Communication Technology
• Ability to self manage a complex and diverse workload
• Proven ability to compile reports for a variety of audiences and maintain accurate records
• Ability to ensure effective lines of communication between colleagues, management and external agencies