Children & Families Hub Advisor (Safeguarding & Support) in Colchester

Fixed Term Contract / Secondment opportunity for a period of 12 months. The role ensures the Single Point of Entry is accessible by professionals, members of the public and families. Advisers will work with senior staff to deliver a prompt and appropriate response to concerns and risks, ensuring safe and efficient handling of all contacts.

Accountabilities

• Management team of the Children and Families Hub.
• Understand the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes through exemplar behaviour in accordance with ECC’s Values and Core Organisational Behaviours.
• Work flexibly and collaboratively across structural boundaries in support of key outcomes.
• Contribute to development of organisational capability by taking ownership of your own training and development and responding to performance feedback.
• Think creatively, challenge norms, and constructively challenge others (including senior staff) to ensure continuous improvement and commercial astuteness.
• Identify and mitigate areas of risk including Health and Safety and Business Continuity.
• Work as part of project or process teams under the new operating model, ensuring excellent cross‑functional output.
• Provide accurate information, advice, and guidance via telephone or email in line with the levels of need identified within the Effective Support for Children and Families in Essex guidance.
• Work closely with other team members to identify risk and safeguard children by prioritising referrals when necessary.
• Record information accurately and enter it onto the appropriate system, maintaining safe and lawful recording in accordance with Data Protection legislation and ECC policy.
• Gather relevant information to identify the appropriate level of need for families and complete records to ensure consideration for further referral within the Children and Families Hub.
• Act as a link adviser for a thematic or geographical area, ensuring a good knowledge of local services available for the Hub and including them in the Directory of Services.
• Allow for a flexible approach to workflow and demand, as duties may be changed or varied at the discretion of the Hub management team.

The role is based in Essex House, Colchester; some travelling may be required for training, representing the team at meetings and liaising with both internal and external partners.

Experience You Will Bring

Essential

• Knowledge and understanding of current national and local safeguarding legislation and procedures including the Effective Support for Children and Families in Essex guidance, the Children’s Act and Working Together Guidance.
• Good general level of education, including English at GCSE grade A‑C, or demonstrably equivalent abilities.
• Experience of communicating by telephone and electronically recording information promptly and in adherence with data protection legislation.

Desirable

• Understanding of high‑quality customer care and information provision and an appreciation of potential barriers and challenges for hard‑to‑reach groups.
• High level of inter‑personal, negotiation and communication skills, engaging at appropriate levels with a variety of audiences.

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, it is committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost.

Essex County Council is a Disability Confident Leader and commits to interview all disabled applicants, veterans and care leavers who meet the minimum requirements of the role. Reasonable adjustments can be made during the process as required. If the role requires a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service to keep your certificate current.

For queries on this role, email ami.fosker@essex.gov.uk.