About The Role

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of children, young people, and their families?

Context

We have a clear mission to create a child-friendly Islington, where all children and young people are rooted in a community where they feel safe, can thrive and are able to be a part of and lead change.

To achieve this we will build on our successes of establishing a commitment, a culture, and approaches where decisions and actions account for their impact and where they have real and meaningful influence. We will make decisions and take actions that respond to priorities that have been defined by children and young people and are owned and driven as a collective by children, families Islington Council and its partners.

Building on a strong history of partnership working we are developing our strategic aims to include:

A shared strategic ambition for helping people in Islington to Start, Live and Age Well – a positive approach to fostering wellbeing through early intervention and prevention, a strong link to the wider determinants of health, strengths-based approaches, strong community networks and integration across education, health and care.
A seamless offer of support for families with school aged children including those with SEND and a locality-based approach to supporting children 0-19 (or 25 for those with SEND) and their families

This is a fantastic opportunity for a committed, energetic and creative individual to lead on our early years portfolio and wider commissioning activity as part of the Start Well team and in close collaboration with the Early Years and Childcare service.

Candidates for the role should have relevant commissioning experience either within the NHS or local authorities and possess a strong understanding of the factors affecting children and young people including early childhood development.

For further information or for an informal conversation about the post, please contact:

Chris Halliwell, Head of Start Well, Strategic Commissioning and Investment

Email: [email protected]

Working for the team, service and our organisation

Islington is a place rich with diversity and culture. As a council our sense of purpose couldn’t be clearer: we serve. It’s in the logo. We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Together we can change the future.

We are determined to create a more equal Islington, where everyone who lives here has an equal chance to thrive.

To do this, everyone who works at Islington Council lives by a set of values which guide us in everything that we do: collaborative, ambitious, resourceful, and empowering. They spell out ‘CARE’, which is what we think public service is all about.

Our offer to you

We are committed to challenging inequality in the borough and as one of the largest employers we know that to look after the place and the planet, we have to look after our people. Our staff benefits include:

Up to 31 days leave per year, increasing to 36 days after five years of local government service
A range of flexible working arrangements to maintain a healthy work-life balance, as well as a 35-hour working week
Learning and development opportunities to maximise your potential
Competitive pay and a commitment to paying all staff the London Living Wage at minimum
Excellent local government pension scheme
Cycle to Work scheme and discounted gym memberships
Local discounts from restaurants, shops, health and beauty therapists, and more!

Recruitment information

It is the policy of Islington Council that no user of service, present or future employee or job applicant receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their sex, perceived or actual sexual orientation, marital status, race, religion or belief, age, creed, colour, nationality, national origin, ethnic origin, or disability, or on the grounds of their association with someone in one of these groups; nor is disadvantaged by any conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justified. We welcome applications from Black and Minority Ethnic candidates and acknowledge our responsibility to mitigate against racial discrimination. 

Islington Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria and we are committed to providing support to applicants who request reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process and throughout their career with us.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expects all staff, and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts are subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

The post is subject to an enhanced DBS check with children/adult barred list, qualifications check and 5 years referencing.

Please note: Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Islington Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.