Job description

Post title: Children’s centre receptionist

Service area: Early Years and Childcare

Grade: Scale 4

Reports to: Head of Nursery

Your team: Archway and Willow CCs

Number of supervisees: None

Our ambition

We’re determined to make Islington fairer. To create a place where everyone, whatever their background, has the opportunity to reach their potential and enjoy a good quality of life.

We also have an ambitious goal – to be the best council in the country– with every employee clear about the part they play and inspired, focused and supported to give their very best.

We want to build an organisation where employees feel valued, inspired and empowered to help us achieve our goals and provide the best services possible to our residents.

Our values and behaviours

‘Be Islington’ is about setting a clear challenge about what it means to be an Islington employee and sets the standard for every new recruit.

We ask our employees to ‘Be Islington’ – playing their part in working together for a fairer borough and to always be collaborative, be ambitious, be resourceful, and be empowering (‘CARE’).

Our commitment to challenging inequality

We are committed to tackling inequality, racism and injustice and creating a fairer borough for all. In order to do this, we need to set the example by being a fair employer and creating a workplace environment, which is free from discrimination, racism and inequality. Our approach needs to be proactive, consistently learning to create a fairer workplace and foster a culture, which empowers all staff to challenge inequality.

Fairness is at the heart of what we do. We want to celebrate and embrace our differences by:

  • Ensuring our workforce is representative of the people we work on behalf of, our residents
  • Creating equitable working environments and diverse teams
  • Understanding our residents in order to design and deliver services that help tackle inequality and improve life chances for our residents
  • Getting to know people and their differences
  • Interpreting issues and concerns from a cultural perspective and address situations or problems from the points-of-view of multiple cultures
  • Supporting people with long-term health conditions and/or disabilities
  • Recognising the value of flexible working to support staff where possible

Key responsibilities

To provide the first point of contact for all visitors to the centre, welcoming them and providing information or referring to the appropriate member of staff.

35 hours per week to be worked as agreed between 8-6pm

  1. To provide the first point of contact for all visitors and staff using the centre, welcoming them and providing information or referring to the appropriate member of staff.
  1. To monitor access via the main door of visitors to the centre and ensure that all visitors sign in when they arrive and sign out when they depart.
  1. To undertake clerical work within the office including:
  • Managing reception including preparation of paperwork for partners, message taking, ensuring correct protocols are followed
  • Filing and manual administrative systems
  • Photocopying
  • Dealing with incoming and outgoing mail
  • Using appropriate office equipment
  • Typing of reports, letters etc
  • Data inputting and retrieval
  • Handling confidential and sensitive information in accordance with the centre’s confidentiality and safe guarding policies and procedures
  1. To co-ordinate room bookings in the Centre
  1. To make arrangements for services and professionals using the centre as appropriate, including room booking and booking appointments as instructed.
  1. To monitor and manage your own workload and keep records in an agreed format and up to date.
  1. To answer the tele as required.
  1. To book appointments for centre managers as required and maintain appointment calendars as instructed.
  1. To receive and record income and administer petty cash as instructed.
  1. To collect monitoring information about service use as instructed.
  1. To ensure that all duties are performed in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders and Financial Regulations.
  1. Attend relevant training and development sessions as appropriate.
  1. To carry out such other duties, appropriate to the post, as may reasonably be required.

Willing to work out of hours at evenings and weekends as necessary

Resources and Financial management

Ensure effective Financial Management, cost controls and income maximisation in an ever changing environment, fluctuating demands and priorities. Ensure resources are well managed and effectively deployed to the best possible effects assuring value for money in all activities.

Compliance

Ensure legal, regulatory and policy compliance under GDPR, Health and Safety and in area of your specialism identifying opportunities and risks and escalating where appropriate.

The nature of the job requires a high degree of initiative, confidentiality, tact and discretion when giving or receiving information, which could be confidential.

ADDITIONAL:     

  • The post holder is expected to be committed to the Council’s core values of public service, quality, equality and empowerment and to demonstrate this commitment in the way they carry out their duties.
  • Ensure all the services within the area(s) of responsibility are provided in accordance with the Council’s commitment to high quality service provision to users.
  • To use and assist others in the use of information technology systems to carry out duties in the most efficient and effective manner.
  • To achieve agreed service outcomes and outputs, and personal appraisal targets, as achieved by the line manager.
  • To undertake training and constructively take part in meetings, supervision, seminars and other events designed to improve communication and assist with the effective development of the post and post holder.
  • The post holder is expected to be committed to the Council’s core values of public service, quality, equality and empowerment and to demonstrate this commitment in the way they carry out their duties.
  • Ensure that duties are undertaken with due regard and compliance with the Data Protection Act and other legislation.
  • Carry out duties and responsibilities in accordance with the Council’s Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety legislation.
  • At all times carrying out responsibilities/duties within the framework of the Council’s Dignity for all Policy. (Equal Opportunities Policy).

Work style

Office-Based/Frontline Role

 

Person specification

You should demonstrate on your application form how you meet the essential criteria.  Please ensure that you address each of the criteria as this will be assessed to determine your suitability for the post.

Essential criteria

 

Department: Children’s Services

Division/Unit: Schools and Young People / Early Years

 

Post Title: Children’s Centre Receptionist

Grade: Scale 4

   

 REQUIREMENTS

A/I/T

   

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

A/I

 

E1 

Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent qualification.

A/I

 

E2 

Experience of general administrative and clerical duties.

 
   

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS and ABILITY

A/I

 

E3

Good literacy and numeracy skills

A/I

 

E4

Good interpersonal and communication skills including face to face, on the tele and by letter.

A/I

 

E5

Good organisational skills, able to plan and manage own time effectively, work on own initiative and operate diary systems

A/I

 

E6

To have relevant IT skills including good word processing skills, be willing to develop these skills as necessary and be familiar with relevant software.

A/I

 

E7

Ability to work as part of a team and be able to respond flexibly to changing demands

A/I

 

E8

Ability to work to Council standards for customer care

A/I

 

E9

Ability to adhere, support, implement and work with the Council’s Dignity for All Policy

A/I

 

E10

A commitment to equality and inclusion in all aspects of the work

A/I

 

E11

Willing to work out of hours at evenings and weekends as necessary

 
   

COMMITMENT TO EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

A/I

 

E12

Demonstrate the ability to adhere to the Council’s Dignity for All policy.

 
   

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE POST

 

E13

This post requires an Enhanced Clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

   
               

Our accreditations

Our accreditations include: the Healthy Workplace award, Timewise, London Living Wage Employer, Disability Confident Committed, The Mayor’s Good Work Standard, Stonewall Diversity Champion, and Time to Change.