Job Description

• Suffolk County Council
• Address: Beacon House, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5PB, Hybrid working
• Salary: £28,958 per annum (pro rata)
• Hours: 18.5 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join theSuffolk County Council (SCC) Emergency Duty Service (Out of Hours Team) as an Emergency Duty Service Coordinator

This role can be worked from home with the requirement to be in the office for training and team meetings at Beacon House, Ipswich.

• Would you like to work in an incredibly varied, challenging and rewarding role?
• Are you passionate about making a positive difference to the lives of children and adults in Suffolk?

Your role and responsibilities

You'll be the first point of contact for social care enquiries relating to Suffolk residents, including Adult Services, Children and Young People’s services and Mental Health referrals. There are various contact channels which you will be expected to manage (telephone and email) and multi-task while providing exceptional customer service.

You will be responsible for dealing with a wide range of people with a variety of queries and demands of differing complexity. Some contacts will be from vulnerable individuals, and the post holder will be expected to use their skills and knowledge to support customers to achieve the best outcome, in line with Suffolk’s organisational values, drivers and operating models.

If successful, you will be responsible for a seamless transition between day and night services enabling the Council to fulfil its statutory duties to vulnerable adults, children, and families.

This a great opportunity for anyone wanting to gain experience within Social Care, with the opportunity to develop knowledge and support those in the community.

You will:

• act as the first port of call for the public for enquiries relating to children and families, vulnerable adults and mental health concerns and for professionals in accessing social care services both in and out of hours
• communicate effectively with customers by demonstrating listening skills and using appropriate questioning techniques to promptly and accurately identify the reason for the customer contacting social care
• maintain effective use of customer information systems and databases to ensure high quality and accurate recording and data quality
• work quickly and effectively to ensure information is passed to the appropriate team or worker as soon as possible.

You will need:

• a good level of literacy and numeracy skills
• relevant computer literacy (Explorer, Chrome, Word, Excel, Outlook)
• excellent customer service skills.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (Word) If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

The Emergency Duty Service is an out of hours service that works as a team to support one another, we work together to ensure a high standard service is achieved. We have a variety of individuals within the team at differing stages in their careers and we can support career development opportunities.

We will offer an in-depth training plan, both online and face to face. You will be supported by a mentor throughout the start of employment as well as direct line manager.

Out of hours shifts

The Emergency Duty Service is a team that works out of hours and includes shifts that cover evenings, weekends, and overnights.

This position will be to cover the below shifts. These shifts are plotted on a 4 week rolling rota. There are also occasions where shift swaps or additional shift coverage may be requested by the EDS Team Leader.

Please be advised weeks run Sunday to Saturday.

Week 1 and 3

Sunday 23:00 – 08:00

Tuesday 17:00 – 23:00

Saturday 18:00 – 22:00

Week 2 and 4

Tuesday 23:00 – 08:00

Wednesday 23:00 – 08:00

Saturday 18:00 – 22:00

Training

Full training for the role will be provided. This will be delivered across the team through 1:1 training some of which may be office-based. Once training is complete, the role is hybrid with the expectation of coming into the office base for occasional shifts, training, and team meetings.

Empowering Everyone

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report

For more information

Please contact Sian Alexander (she/her) for a casual conversation by emailing sian.alexander@suffolk.gov.uk

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the advert and the Job and Person Profile (Word)

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the  Supporting Statement template (Word).

1. Tell us about your skills and qualities, how will they make you successful within this role?
2. Tell us about a time you had to remain calm and professional when faced with confrontation, challenging behaviour or emotional situations either over the phone or in person. What did you do to manage the situation and what was the outcome?
3. What does Customer Service look like for you? Can you give us an example where you have had to provide this, what did you do and what was the outcome?
4. Tell us about a time you have had to work collaboratively with colleagues / partner agencies to achieve a shared objective or goal.

Step 4 - Upload a CV (without name and personal details).

Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page.

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team by either emailing  recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or calling  03456 014412 You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages.

Closing date: 11.30 pm, 28 June 2026

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.  #LI-Hybrid

As a modern and effective council, we offer a wide variety of careers to suit people with a range of skills, abilities and ambitions. We offer working options that flex to reflect the way people work today and take the time to understand and support your individual needs. We’re driven to make a positive difference to the world around us and encourage everyone with drive and focus to join us and build an influential and impactful career. Reimagine the possibilities.

In return, you’ll enjoy:

• up to 29 days annual leave entitlement (pro rata), plus UK bank holidays and two paid volunteering days
• membership of a competitive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• travel, lifestyle, health and wellbeing benefits
• performance-related annual pay progression, in addition to an annual cost-of-living pay increase
• training and encouragement to expand your knowledge
• a variety of career development opportunities across our organisation
• diverse and active staff networks
• flexible working options, with the right to request flexible working from your first day

If you want to know more about our benefits, values and equality commitments please visit our Suffolk County Council careers website (careers.Suffolk.gov.uk)