Assistant Director Commissioning and Partnerships in Norwich

Are you passionate about improving the lives of children, young people, and families? Do you thrive on partnership working, system leadership, and driving high impact change? If so, this is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping Norfolk's early help and prevention landscape.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking a motivated and visionary leader to head up the strategic commissioning of prevention and early help services for children and families across Norfolk. This role is central to ensuring that children and young people flourish, inequalities are reduced, and services across health, education, social care and the voluntary sector work together seamlessly.

As a key part of the Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities leadership team, you will collaborate with senior colleagues across the CYP system, the Integrated Care Board (ICB), Public Health, and a wide network of partners to deliver an integrated approach to early help. You will also deputise for the Director of Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities when required.

About us

We want our people to be inspired and motivated to work well together, make the most of our workspaces, enjoy a healthy work-life balance, and deliver excellent services. Flexibility is built into the way we work, with hybrid working a key feature for many roles. Our technology platform and equipment are first class enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely. We ask that you have in place good Broadband connectivity.

These are some benefits you can enjoy:

• Generous holiday entitlement
• Health and Wellbeing services including fast-track physiotherapy and a free counselling service
• Flexible working opportunities dependant on your job role and business need.
• Financial benefits such as: Norfolk Rewards our employee discounts programme which helps you save money on almost anything, from everyday groceries and clothes, to holidays, new technology, gym membership, trips to the cinema and days out.
• A Blue Light card for Fire Service and Social Care Workers
• Relocation expenses (where applicable)
• An advance of your expenses if you travel for work
• Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution, life assurance, death in service payments and dependants pensions.
• Tax efficient ways of getting extra pension and new bikes
• Access to our tax efficient car lease scheme for greener travel enabling you to lease a brand new, ultra-low emission vehicle (subject to eligibility)
• A payment if you refer someone you know to a hard to fill job

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To lead an integrated approach to the strategic commissioning of prevention and early help provision for children and families across Norfolk, working with key partners and stakeholders to develop and deliver integrated commissioning that:

• enables children and young people to flourish
• improves outcomes for children, young people and their families and reduces inequalities
• offers coherence for service users, providers, partner agencies and Children's Services and Health operational delivery frontline teams
• enables value for money and ensures best use of available resources
• reduces demand and prevents the need for more specialist provision.
• aligns to government reform around Best Start in Life, Family Hubs, Families First Partnership and Integrated Neighbourhood Working.

To work with senior colleagues across the CYP system to embed commissioned prevention and early help provision for children, young people and families so that services are delivered in an integrated way that makes sense to children, young people and their families and support them to flourish.

To be a member of the extended leadership team for Children's Services, located within the Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities Senior Management Team, with a shared responsibility for the overall management and delivery of services, deputising for the Director of Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities as required.

Context

The teams managed by this post holder commission services for children, young people and families requiring early help and preventative services that include:

• Early Childhood and Family Service - ECFS
• Youth Advisory Boards - YABs
• Youth Early Support Service - YESS
• Parent Carers
• Preventing Domestic Abuse and Unhealthy Relationships Service - DAUR
• Best Start in Life services - BSiL

The post holder will be expected to lead effective partnership projects, align commissioning intentions and work in an integrated way with senior colleagues from Children's Services, ICB, Public Health and partner agencies and organisations focused on prevention and early help. For example, The Healthy Child Programme (Public Health), Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (ICB) and Youth and Community Work Service (YCW).

The post holder will be the strategic lead for the Prevention and Early help Board and associated strategies and ensure joined up working and positive relationships within the wider statutory and voluntary and community sectors.

The post holder will be the strategic lead for the DfE Best Start Family Hubs programme and will be expected to work in partnership with the DfE and strategic and operational partners in Norfolk. A strong collaboration and relationship with the ICB is essential to ensure alignment around Best Start in Life and support the development of Neighbourhood Management in line with the NHS 10 year Health Plan and Neighbourhood Health.

Accountabilities

To lead Children's Services approach to integrated commissioning of preventative and early help provision, working collaboratively with wider commissioners, the Director for Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities, senior managers across CS and the ICB, and with Elected Members, to ensure that commissioning for children, young people and their families is underpinned by a coherent commissioning strategy and is contributing to the strategic vision and priorities of Children's Services, the Integrated Care Board, and the Children and Young People Strategic Alliance - CYPSA.

To structure and lead an integrated portfolio of preventative and early help commissioning and activity in Norfolk to ensure timely and feasible proposals are developed, procured and implemented, providing high quality services and better outcomes for children, young people and their families, co-produced with service users, carers and other stakeholder groups.

To lead the continuous improvement, innovation and development of integrated commissioning that secures high quality and effective prevention and early help, focuses on impact and outcomes, meets statutory/policy requirements and the needs of children, young people and families, provides value for money, and reduces demand.

To lead the Children's Services Participation Strategy to ensure the effective engagement and participation of children and young people on behalf of Children's Services. This will include overseeing the youth strategy and ensuring strong strategic partnerships within the wider youth and community sector in Norfolk.

To be responsible for ensuring appropriate and effective performance management of preventative and early help commissioned provision, overseeing monitoring, evaluating and reporting of provision to ensure key performance measures are met and that appropriate actions are being taken to swiftly address any performance issues.

To advise and assist the Director of Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities on the implications of relevant policy developments and emerging issues for prevention and early help provision focused on children, young people and their families.

To lead and oversee projects contributing to Children's Services and ICB priorities and transformation, working with partners, commissioned providers and key stakeholders including service users to ensure that Norfolk is responding to and meeting the needs of children, young people and their families, and securing the impact and outcomes required.

To act as the Senior Responsible Officer for Norfolk's Best Start Family Hubs programme and Norfolk's Best Start in Life local plan leading effective partnerships and working in an aligned way with senior colleagues from Children's Services, ICB, Public Health and other associated preventative and early help services.

To oversee the effective engagement and participation of children, young people and families, on behalf of Children's Services and the Integrated Care Board, within Norfolk's prevention and early help arrangements.

To oversee a Partnership Youth Strategy as part of Norfolk's prevention and early help response to young people that supports their access to local youth provision and projects which promote good mental health, healthy lifestyles, and positive choices, as part of Norfolk's response to the national youth strategy.

To lead, manage and develop staff teams, taking the lead on actions to improve staff engagement, staff development and progression planning, and ensuring organisational structures support delivery of best working practices.

To be accountable for significant budgets, directly influencing the budget setting and long-term financial planning relating to prevention and early help commissioning and demonstrating value for money in the delivery of commissioned services.

Person Specification

Experience

• Significant post qualification senior management experience of commissioning and planning services for children and young people that deliver value for money.
• Extensive experience of working with stakeholders, supply chains and partners to agree and deliver appropriate commercial structures which incentivises delivery.
• Significant experience of operational management of services for children and young people.
• Evidence of successfully building diverse teams that are focused on results and performance.
• Experience of creating and proactively leading change initiatives in a complex environment.
• A clear understanding of legislative frameworks and requirements.
• Evidence of understanding of commissioning, service planning and procurement.
• Experience of undertaking and leading strategic commissioning.

Enhanced DBS

Appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check to assess the suitability of candidates to work with children or other vulnerable groups.

Excellent communication and diplomacy skills with the ability to build strong networks and influence and persuade senior partners and strategic stakeholders.

Able to talk confidently, passionately and articulately to small and large audiences and adapt style to meet audience needs.

Excellent ability to engage and work effectively with Elected Members, directors and senior decision makers across agencies.

Developed sense of the requirements of good project management and business acumen with evidence of a clear understanding of the financial responsibilities associated with commissioning.

Analytical skills to understand and use big data and intelligence to build an accurate picture of service delivery and a sound evidence base for decision making, based on results and outcomes/impact.

Ability to provide a clear overview of complex issues and provide sound, professional and reliable advice in an engaging, accessible and non-technical manner orally and in writing.

Ability to engage with, understand and take account of the view of service users and stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification or equivalent to demonstrate strong knowledge and understanding of the professional field.
• Hold membership of appropriate professional body.
• Evidence of continued professional, managerial and personal development.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.