Since our creation on 1 April 2023 we have worked hard to create the culture, systems, processes and strong partnerships that we need to deliver on our vision -
'People living in a place they call home with the people and things that they love, in communities where they look out for one another, doing the things that matter to them'.
Our social care agenda is built on strong foundations and principles of promoting the independence and wellbeing of people with social care needs, alongside upholding human rights, building relationships, and developing strengths.
We are proud of our workforce and their commitment, creativity, and resilience.
We are ambitious about our practice and want people to feel valued, be heard, and see their wishes and hopes reflected in the support we provide.
We know that there are areas we need to work on, and we are committed to creating a culture that enables reflection, positive risk-taking, and person-centred outcomes. Our co-production work continues to challenge us to re-think approaches and amplify the voices of lived experience.
I look forward to working together on our journey of continued improvement enriching the experience and lives of the people we support - putting independence and wellbeing at the heart of everything we do.
Cath Whalley
Director of Adult Social Care
Reporting directly to our statutory Director of Adult Social Services (DASS), you will be part of an ambitious Senior Leadership Team committed to developing an innovative and inclusive new Council. You will have a strong track record in delivering excellent services for adults that need additional support and supporting a flexible, agile, empowering, and successful directorate that is key to the Council’s overall success.
Building on strong foundations, you will be working alongside residents to promote a culture of co-production and putting community outcomes at the heart of service design and decision making. This is a key role, and you will be delivering joined up services that are efficient and effective to enable our residents and communities to thrive.
You will be responsible for Adult Social Care services delivered directly, as well as by providers through commissioned arrangements, to ensure the statutory responsibilities of the local authority and accountabilities are appropriately managed. These services include safeguarding, older adults, mental health, physical disabilities, learning disabilities and autism services, visual and hearing impairment. As the Assistant Director of Operations, you will be a key member of the Adult Social Care Directorate Management Team, with a key role in the successful delivery of our ambitious Promoting Independence and Wellbeing Programme.
As a highly credible and skilled practitioner, you will have considerable experience of leading and delivering adult services within an integrated health and care environment. You will have demonstrable continuing professional development and will bring a strong understanding of the national policy context for adult social care, health and care.
We have a unique opportunity to be bold, creative and do things differently, whilst building on our strong foundations. With support from Members, our senior leadership teams will transform our services and put residents right at the heart, helping our communities to thrive and flourish. This is a truly exceptional opportunity to shape our future and yours.
For more information about the role, please view the below attachment.
We are a caring council. We are dedicated to supporting your health and wellbeing while you are working for us. We have a variety of fantastic benefits that ensure you can achieve a healthy work-life balance.
If you want to find out more about our benefits and working for Westmorland and Furness, please visit the link below.
Thank you for your interest in joining Westmorland and Furness Council. We are committed to building a diverse and skilled workforce that reflects the character of our community.
We believe in treating all applicants fairly and without bias. Our recruitment process is designed to be open, inclusive, and supportive, ensuring that you feel valued and able to demonstrate your strengths. We aim to make the process as transparent and equitable as possible for everyone.
Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and work to promote an inclusive, supportive culture that values and celebrates our differences.
At Westmorland and Furness Council we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and adults at risk and expects all employees, volunteers and workers to share this commitment.
This role involves working in regulated activity with Adults and is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 and therefore requires an Enhanced DBS with an Adults Barred List Check.
It is an offence for people who are barred from working in regulated activity to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with Adults.
To apply, please fill out the Job Application Details Form, and email it to us along with your CV and a supporting statement to lauren.carradus2@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk. Once we have received your application, we will send you a confirmation email.
If you would like an informal conversation about this exciting role, please contact Cath Whalley (cath.whalley@westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk).
Closing date for applications: Sunday 10th November 2024
Technical interviews: Monday 18th November 2024
Final interviews: Monday 9th December 2024
Our ambition for Adult Social Care centres around our Promoting Independence and Wellbeing Programme. The programme is working towards twelve pillars of improvement, which include some fundamental improvements in data and case recording, performance management, quality and practice. We also have work underway to deliver workforce development which will improve our recruitment and retention of our staff, and pursue collaboration with our health partners and care providers.
Building on these fundamentals is the improvement of our in-house and commissioned services through enhanced design and delivery, driven by co-production and informed by our data. We must ensure that our change aligns with Westmorland and Furness Council's ambitions to build strong communities that support each other and enables us to prevent, reduce and delay people’s path to social care.
By area, Westmorland and Furness is the third largest unitary local authority area in England and the most sparsely populated. It is home to some of the country’s most stunning landscapes and its most hi-tech businesses. On our coast is Barrow-in-Furness, a busy shipbuilding town and port with cutting edge sub-sea technology industries, while inland South Lakeland and Eden have a rural, land-based economy with a strong visitor and cultural economy.
To see more of Westmorland and Furness, the beautiful area we serve, take a look at this video.