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About Devon

Devon has a stunning mix of rural environments, extensive coastlines, thriving cities, market towns and villages. Behind the scenery though, people in Devon have a full range of social care needs because of poverty, isolation and deprivation. Devon County Council Social Services has legal duties to look after the welfare of the people of Devon and, in conjunction with other organisations, to provide a range of practical services to meet individual needs.

About Devon Social Services

Devon Social Service's main aims and objectives are to identify the social care needs of people in Devon, and to plan and deliver a range of quality and cost effective services that are:

• responsive to diverse needs
• promote independence, equality and social inclusion
• and that protect vulnerable people

We are constantly striving for best practice and have an excellent track record on innovation and strategic development as well as operational management

How we are Organised

Devon Social Services is organised into three localities:

Exeter & East Devon Locality

Exeter is the South West’s regional capital city and has a population of approximately 111,000. It is situated in the heart of Devon with easy access to the coast and countryside. Exeter is a relatively prosperous city with high employment but there are several wards with high levels of disadvantage.

East Devon covers a large geographical area with small market and coastal towns in the east and the larger town of Exmouth in the west. Although the population includes a large proportion of elderly people, there are also 24,600 children in the District which makes East Devon amongst the largest districts in the County.

Northern Devon & Mid Devon Locality

Northern Devon spans the District Council areas of North Devon and Torridge, with the North Devon PCT covering the whole area. The main towns are Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe and South Molton, with an overall population of approximately 150,642. North Devon is an attractive environment in which to live and work, with over 850 square miles of some of Britain’s finest countryside and coast - particularly popular with surfers. The boundary stretches from the coastal borders of Lynton and Lynmouth to Hartland and up into the rural areas of Holsworthy, Eggesford, Dulverton and Simonsbath.

Mid Devon covers an area of 353 square miles. It has a population of 104,000 of whom 2,000 are children under 16 years. It is predominately a rural area but includes four major towns, Tiverton, Cullompton, Crediton and Okehampton. The boundaries stretch from Exebridge in the north to Cheriton Bishop in the south, Okehampton in the west and Hemyock in the east.

South Hams, West Devon and Teignbridge Locality

The South Hams & West Devon covers a large rural area, the main towns being Totnes, Dartmouth, Kingsbridge, Ivybridge and Tavistock. The boundary stretches from the borders of Plymouth up onto Dartmoor and east towards Newton Abbot. It is a beautiful area with stunning coastal and moorland scenery plus a number of picturesque rural villages.

Teignbridge encompasses some 250 square miles of beautiful Devon countryside and is home to 116,000 people. The district includes the seaside resorts of Dawlish, Dawlish Warren, Shaldon and Teignmouth, as well as a large part of the Dartmoor National Park which comprises many rural villages well known to holiday makers. These include Widecombe in the Moor, made famous by Uncle Tom Cobley, and Buckland in the Moor, looking like a picture postcard with its old thatched cottages and farms. There is no shortage of outdoor and sporting activities in the area.

The three localities, which mirror the boundaries of two NHS Primary Care Trusts, are sub-divided into four separate divisions reflecting the main client groups served:

• Adults (older people/physical & sensory disability) - At present Adults Services have an integrated management structure with Exeter PCT, East Devon PCT and Mid Devon PCT and work is progressing on integration in the rest of the county
  
  
• Children & Families Services - Children with Special Needs Teams have been integrated into Joint Agency Teams (JATs) which combine Social Services, Health and Eduction staff. These have been set up in all areas except South & West Devon where integration is still in progress. Devon has also successfully achieved ‘pathfinder’ status for its Children’s Trust bid, with a proposed Trust which will integrate the County Council’s Social Services and Education functions with the NHS.
  
  
• Mental Health Services are the responsibility of the Devon Partnership Trust, to which Social Services staff have been seconded to deliver integrated services.
  
  
• Learning Disability Services are delivered by the ‘Devon Health & Social Care Learning Disability Partnership’ which consists of the Social Services Directorate, the Devon Partnership Trust and the Primary Care Trusts.
  
  A fifth Division:
  
  
• Strategic & Corporate Services provides a range of support services including Information Management & Technology, Performance Review, Public Information & Communication, Contracting & Market Development and Business Resources.

Local offices are the main public contact points from where information and advice is provided, and staff assess whether a member of the public is eligible for one of our services.

Underpinning these assessments and delivery of services and packages of care is a significant business infrastructure, inclusive of business processes, IT and Finance systems.

Management of these functions rests with Business Resources & Finance Services who are, in effect, the business side of the organisation.

Strategically, Business Resources & Finance Services aim to provide a unified infrastructure to support the operational services, secure additional support services via Service Level Agreements with both internal and external partners and maintain effective quality assurance systems for all processes and systems. Practically, this is delivered by the provision of teams of well-trained, motivated Business Support & Finance clerks who provide data input, typing, clerical, administrative, file management and reception services.

Key to these business processes is our IT system - CareFirst - which is the platform for retaining client records and management information, along with billing and income collection activities.

Should you come and work for Business Resources & Finance Services - what's in it for you?

Devon County Council and its Social Services Directorate take staff care very seriously - our staff being our greatest asset.

All staff benefit from a comprehensive range of measures to help them maximise their career and personal development potential, and support them in their daily working life.

These include:

• A full and comprehensive Induction Programme.
• Completion of European Computer Driving Licence Start qualification within six months.
• Full training on our core business systems.
• Building up an Individual Performance Portfolio which evidences your performance.
• Opportunities for undertaking NVQs in Finance & Administration.
• A range of training courses and development opportunities to support core skills.
• Regular supervision with your line manager, and Annual Appraisals.

We also have a variety of staff care initiatives including:

• Staff discount schemes.
• An Occupational Health Unit.
• Flexible working policies, including opportunities for part-time, job-share, flexi-time and home working.
• Work-life balance policies.
• An index linked Final Salary Pension scheme.
• Minimum 21 days annual leave (if you are new to local government).

Contact:

All jobs within Devon County Council are advertised at 'Choice' - Devon's Online Recruitment Guide'. This can be viewed on-line at www.devonjobs.gov.uk/.

If you would prefer to complete an off-line application then often you will be able to download a Word version of the application form from the page listing individual job details. Or please contact the First Stop Desk below and ask for an application pack to be sent you.

First Stop Desk

• Tel. 01392 383034 e-mail:firstop@devon.gov.uk

Human Resources (HR) Helpdesk

• Tel. 01392 385555 e-mail: hrsshelp@devon.gov.uk