Children's Services Support Assistant

We’re recruiting a Part-time Children’s Services Support Assistant to join our Children’s Services Business Support team at Milton Keynes City Council. This rewarding role is ideal for someone who enjoys providing high-quality administrative support, delivering excellent customer service and helping services run smoothly behind the scenes. The role sits within Children’s Services and supports a wide range of operational and business activities across the directorate.

Children’s Services Business Support provides administrative, financial, performance and operational support across Children’s Social Care and Education. The team enables frontline practitioners and managers to focus on improving outcomes for children and families by ensuring statutory processes, meetings, data management, finance functions and service operations run efficiently and effectively.

As a Children’s Services Support Assistant, you’ll play an important part in supporting these services by handling administrative processes, maintaining accurate records, supporting financial procedures and helping colleagues deliver the best possible outcomes for children, young people and families.

This is a Site-Based role, and you’ll be expected to work from the designated workplace.

Main Responsibilities

• Deliver a responsive and customer-focused administrative service by processing incoming post, telephone calls, emails and general enquiries.
• Undertake a wide range of administrative duties including scanning, copying, document management and maintaining accurate records.
• Support Children’s Services processes by carrying out checks and references, updating databases and maintaining information in line with information governance requirements.
• Manage requests for file retrieval and ensure information is handled securely and confidentially.
• Process purchase orders and sales invoices in line with council financial procedures and support the day-to-day running of the office.
• Work flexibly across Children’s Services Business Support, assisting with traded services activities, reception duties and other administrative support as required.

The Ideal Candidate

• NVQ Level 2 in Business Administration, an equivalent qualification, or significant relevant administrative experience.
• A confident user of Microsoft Office and other information technology systems, with the ability to maintain accurate records and enter data accurately.
• An effective communicator who can adapt their approach to different audiences and build positive working relationships with colleagues, partners and service users.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workloads, meet deadlines and manage competing demands.
• Experience of working with sensitive or confidential information while maintaining professionalism and discretion.
• A collaborative team player who reflects our values of being Dedicated, Respectful and Collaborative in everything they do.

As part of the pre-employment checks, should you be offered the role, we’ll carry out a Basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Package Description

• Great holiday benefits - most roles include 28 days annual leave every year on top of public (bank) holidays, increasing to 32 days after five years. In addition, there is a holiday purchase scheme allowing staff to purchase up to 5 additional days of leave each year.
• Excellent pension - everyone who works for us can join the national Local Government Pension Scheme, widely regarded as one of the best available.
• A full range of family friendly policies including enhanced maternity, adoption and paternity support.
• Access to an award-winning employee benefits programme that includes a health cash plan, a low-cost bike purchase scheme as well as high street discounts and money off entertainment and travel.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme - eligible employees can access low‐cost leasing of electric and low‐emission vehicles.
• Blue Light Card - employees working within social care can qualify for an additional range of discounts from national retailers and local businesses.

Along with more on our Benefits, discover why Working at the City Council could be the right move for you.

Milton Keynes City Council is a large, modern and financially stable employer with around 2,500 people working across our eight areas. Together we provide local residents and businesses with a wide range of important round-the-clock services and aim to make our city a better place to live.

We work hard because of the demands placed on us, like protecting children from harm or preventing homelessness. However, working for the city is always rewarding and everyone has the opportunity to make a real difference.

We’re very proud of our diversity and are committed to having a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Whatever your background, you will be welcome here if you share our values of being dedicated, respectful and collaborative.

We offer great training and support and because of the size and scale of the organisation there are always new opportunities to explore when it’s time for a new role.