About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

The Start for Life Unit is part of the Early Years, Children and Families Directorate within DHSC. In March 2021, the Early Years Healthy Development Review – chaired by Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP the then Government Early Years Advisor, and now Minister for Public Health, Start for Life and Primary Care – published an ambitious Vision to ensure every baby in England is given the best start for life: The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The Start for Life Unit is charged with implementing this ambitious vision by putting words into action.

Following on from the Review, the Chancellor announced approx. £300m for the transformation of Family Hubs and improvement of Start for Life services – including funding for parent-infant mental health and breastfeeding services, the publication of Start for Life offers, and the establishment of Parent and Carer Panels in 75 upper tier local authorities.

The Unit is working closely with officials in the Department for Education (responsible for the family hubs element of the package); and DHSC Ministers to deliver the funding package.

We published a progress report in February 2023 detailing the success of the Programme thus far and our wider work to develop and implement the commitments in the original Vision: The best start for life: a progress report on delivering the vision - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

An exciting opportunity has arisen to be part of the team supporting LAs who are part of the Start for Life and Family Hubs programme. This is as one of our Regional Delivery Support Adviser team (RDSA), who are supporting Local Authorities to successfully deliver the Start for Life and Family Hubs Programme, each RDSA covers several regions with an emphasis on flexibility. This is your opportunity to make a difference and help level up provision so itis high quality and universally available across the 75 LAs receiving funding.

The role involves working across organisational boundaries, and developing strong and productive relationships, to achieve high quality outcomes for children and families. While formally part of DHSC, the RDSA team provide support across the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme (which is joint Programme across DfE and DHSC).

The Start for Life Unit is a friendly, supportive and positive place to work, and we are open to discussions about how flexible working patterns could support you as well as the business. We would actively welcome applications from black and minority ethnic colleagues, colleagues with a disability, and other groups who are currently underrepresented in the Civil Service.

Job description

The Regional Delivery Support Adviser team provide high quality 1 to 1 support and challenge for LAs and their partners, which builds on their strengths and enables them to overcome any barriers to programme delivery.

The frequency, length, and nature of support is graduated according to need and can be delivered in-person or virtually, ranging from those requiring additional support to implement their delivery plans, to those LAs able to move the quickest with the programme.  

The postholder will also connect LAs with other LAs who have had similar challenges and/or who are excelling in the relevant area, brokering peer support opportunities and help in accessing other resources available such as those produced by National Centre for Family Hubs, or policy leads as appropriate.  

While we are advertising this role as available on a part-time as well as full-time basis, any part-time applicants would be expected to work at least 4 days a week. This is due to the nature of the work including reactive requests on a high-profile programme.

Person specification

1. Supporting the delivery of the joint DfE and DHSC Start for Life and Family Hubs programme across the selected 75 upper tier local authorities (LAs)
2. Working with the LAs to implement ambitious and deliverable plans to meet the programme’s objectives
3. Providing on the ground support, challenge, and coaching of local LA Family Hub and Start for Life leads in each of the regions to facilitate strategic engagement with the agenda and effective delivery at pace. This will include developing strategies, in partnership with local areas, that integrate services to support babies and families, and are tailored to meet local need
4. Supporting LAs and wider partners in navigating complexities of maternity providers and NHS public health commissioning, including supporting joint commissioning between health and social care
5. Supporting LAs with their plans to transition to or further develop a family hub model of delivery
6. Understanding risks and issues as they emerge, and act as key connectors between the central policy teams and local partner
7. Identifying common issues being faced by LAs and escalate to central teams
8. Working closely with the team responsible for advising on overall LA performance against KPIs/targets, identifying themes and bringing LAs together to collectively develop solutions, share best practice and improve performance, and provide insights to inform reporting on request
9. Working on quality improvement, facilitating sharing of learning, expertise, best practice and joint problem solving between other regional delivery leads and across LAs, encouraging LAs to use their networks for peer support and enabling sector led improvement
10. Creating strong partnerships with stakeholders at all levels to understand and maximise local delivery channels for programme objectives and to influence change
11. Building relationships and sharing intelligence and learning with similar regional support teams involved in other central government early years and supporting families' programmes – including Children and Young People (CYP) managers and existing CYP networks, Supporting Families, and Reducing Parental Conflicts teams
12. Developing products and materials to support the communication and implementation strategy for the programme, with a regional approach alongside the national plan

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential Criteria

• Experience of holding a management position, working in a local authority, NHS trust or third sector organisation, in the delivery of and/or commissioning of services, particularly those that support families and babies
• Significant service delivery experience and expertise, and a passion for improving the lives of the youngest in our society
• Experience of enabling the strategic join up of services and overcoming barriers to this
• Strong knowledge of business operations, particularly in the delivery of services to support families and children, and the experience of strategic planning, joint commissioning and delivery across local partners
• Knowledge of maternity providers and NHS public health commissioning, and how they intersect with local authority public health and care commissioning
• Awareness of other early help programmes such as Supporting Families or willingness to learn about these
• Well-developed organisational skills, and experience in managing multiple priorities, to enable the delivery of high-quality outcomes at pace
• Ability to collect, use, analyse and interpret data from a range of sources to generate insight and findings for reporting, and to inform recommendations and improvements to services
• Able to communicate complex information in confident and clear ways – both in written reports and verbal presentations
• Capable of working across organisational boundaries, developing strong relationships and delivering high quality outcomes for children and families
• Ability to build strong and effective networks and relationships with multi-disciplinary teams to achieve change
• Negotiating and influencing skills at all levels of organisational hierarchy
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently but collaboratively, as part of a geographically dispersed team

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,116, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £14,354 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Sift date: expected W/C 01/01/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 22/01/2024

Interview location: By video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. 

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability, and Behaviours.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert

Please use your Statement of Suitability to (in no more than 1000 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

Please complete a statement on the specified Behaviour (250 word max).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

An initial sift based on Lead Behaviour, Managing a Quality Service, may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. 

Candidates will be asked a presentation which will assess experience: supporting successful delivery of programmes. Details of the presentation question will be issued to candidates with the release of the sift scores. 

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Further Information

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available. 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

Any move to DHSC from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.