Advisory Officer

Position: Advisory Officer (Contract)
The starting salary for this role is £33,552 per annum, working 36 hours per week.

This full-time position is based at Dakota, Weybridge, and is offered as a 12-month fixed-term contract opportunity. Following your induction, there will be flexibility to work from home for part of the week.

Join our dedicated team at Surrey County Council's Adult Social Care Information & Advice Service as an Advisory Officer! We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic and committed to making a difference to the lives of our residents. In this role, you'll be part of a supportive and collaborative team that values growth and continuous improvement, playing a key role in delivering the high-quality service we're proud to offer.

Our Offer to You

26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
A generous local government salary related pension
Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
Paternity, adoption, and dependents leave
An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.

About the Role

The Adult Social Care Information & Advice Service serves as the first point of contact
-our 'front door' - for anyone seeking support from Surrey's Adult Services. In this dynamic and fast-paced role, you'll handle a diverse and engaging range of enquiries.

While the environment can be demanding, it's also highly rewarding. You'll be trusted to make informed, independent decisions and encouraged to bring your energy, ideas, and initiative to help continuously enhance the quality of our service.

In this role, you'll respond to enquiries from both the public and professionals seeking support for adults, offering clear and comprehensive information about local care and support services. Your guidance will help individuals understand how adult social care works in their area, explore available care and funding options, and navigate the process of accessing the right support.

What a typical day might look like:

You'll be the first point of contact for incoming enquiries, managing each interaction within agreed service level targets. You'll assess the urgency and risk of each call, using your judgement to prioritise and respond effectively.
Working closely with colleagues across Surrey, you'll help coordinate timely responses to requests for support, advice, information, and safeguarding concerns.
You'll engage with residents and their families to gather important background information. This insight is crucial in supporting our partner agencies and ensuring the right help is provided.
You'll play a key role in supporting emergency responses by working with police and ambulance teams. Your coordination will help ensure the right resources are deployed quickly and efficiently during critical situations.
To help you settle in and feel fully supported, all new team members will work from the office 4 days a week during the initial induction and training period (up to 12 weeks). Once you're confident and ready to work independently, you'll move to a hybrid pattern-typically 2 days in the office and 3 days from home. You are required to be flexible, as there will be times when you'll need to come into the office more often depending on team or service needs.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for an interview, your application will need to outline and evidence your previous skills and experience and align with our behaviours:

A good understanding of social care and health issues, with a basic awareness of public sector and voluntary agencies

Experience of providing high levels of customer care and professionalism to members of the public
Ability to deal empathically with sensitive calls/situations and high level written and verbal communication / interpersonal skills
Excellent IT skills and use of databases to a high standard of accuracy
Ability to work effectively and flexibly and as part of a team

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