Ashby de la Zouch is a busy market town in the northern part of Leicestershire, with excellent communications with the motorway network and close to East Midlands Airport.  The Town Council enjoys a good working relationship with North West Leicestershire District Council and several members serve on both authorities. 

The appointment is full time.  Application Form and a Job Description can be obtained by telephoning 01530 416961 between 9am and 1pm  and the closing date for applications is 30 September 2010.

Equality and Human Rights Guidance

The Care Quality Commission seeks your views about guidance on service users and their inspection and assessing. The new guidance addresses issues of; tackling breaches, essential human rights standards and monitoring standards. The consultation on the guidance runs till the 12 November 2010. See www.cqc.org.uk/yourviews/consultations/equalityandhumanrightsguidance.cfm 

Legislation Update: 

Discrimination, Employment and Age 

Currently, where someone believes they are being discriminated owing to their age, reliance is made upon the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006. These provide protection against age discrimination in employment, adult training and education, unfortunately with some gaps. The Equality Act (EA) 2010 aims to tackle these. 

Section 5 provides that age is a ‘…protected characteristic…’ and making reference to a such characteristics may amount to discrimination in certain circumstances. Although not yet substantially in force the Act would make it unlawful, where someone is treated less favourably owing to their: 

• age;
• disability;
• gender reassignment;
• marriage and civil partnership;
• pregnancy and maternity;
• race;
• religion or belief;
• sex;
• sexual orientation.

 Discrimination may arise through direct discrimination such as treating someone less favourably. Indirect discrimination perhaps from company policies, or being victimised or harassed following a complaint. Where such matters arise, there would be a duty to make reasonable adjustments under the EA 2010. 

Legal News: 

Self-Directed Support: 

No one likes losing control, be it money, getting care or just their way of life. Recognising the importance of these issues, most local authorities are piloting schemes where individuals, needing social care receive a personal budget to spend on the care they need, as they choose. These pilots have been extended to March 2011. 

There are some down sides to these ideas as some people in need of social care; may not be able to manage their own budgets, the types of available care may not meet their needs, or their decisions may be being influenced by unscrupulous family or friends. 

To manage such issues, a number of fact sheets can be downloaded from www.in-control.org.uk/fact sheets. These outline tackling abuse issues and how to get further assistance. 

Further information may be obtained form www.in-control.org.uk/home 

Dementia Care Conference 

On the 26 October 2010 in central London is the National Conference on improving dementia care. It aims to demonstrate new strategies for care of the elderly and their carers. Talks will be given by policy and practice managers. See http://www.dementia.dh.gov.uk/_library/Dementia_Conference.pdf for further details.

And Lastly…

Poor Laws Exposed 

Victorians are famed for creating a generation of laws known as Poor Laws. Although there was nothing poor about the laws, they are often ignored and misunderstood. The laws themselves enabled many families to cope through some of the UK’s harshest history. The National Archives have put together more the 115,000 pages on the net containing information about Victorian life and the laws which governed them. They can be accessed at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/workhouse.asp

Craig Ward

Solicitor – Craig Ward is Author of the book ‘Lasting Powers of Attorney: A Practical Guide’ (The Law Society) 

http://www.lawtalks.co.uk/

As the public sector braces itself for across the board job cuts, a recent survey of public sector workers found that 85% of them want career transition services and CV/interview advice to be made compulsory. They also found that 50% of public sector employees expect further redundancies in the next twelve months. The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast that 600,000 jobs will go in the public sector by 2016 as massive spending cuts are imposed.

Although 80% of public sectors workers who had experience of being made redundant had made use of outplacement services, 73% of public sectors employees said there was no current support from their employer around being made redundant. 

I’m not convinced all HR professionals understand the benefits of quality support for the departing individuals. Most people have a vague idea that it’s about helping with the CV and improving interview skills but those are just the basics. Some people will say “I’ll start my programme when I’ve decided what I want to do next” – little realising that assessing people’s skills and strengths and asking about their aspirations is exactly the career consultant’s bag in terms of developing options for employment. 

Working with their vision, giving them confidence and help to achieve it, is what it’s all about – perhaps seeing your employee happily and successfully into a new role or advising them on how to start their own business. 

But you need to invest appropriately. Not all your employees need the same sort of support, so a good career management consultancy will advise you as to the best options for your people and will project manage delivery and cost for you. It should never be a one size fits all approach. 

What are the benefits for the organisation? Some people might have a sneaking feeling that they would be better off spending the cash on remaining employees or even giving the departing employees the extra cash. (I might be tempted to agree with you if you’ve paid lip service to outplacement consulting and employed a bucket shop!). 

Firstly, there is the ethical standpoint. There may be many employees who will struggle to find a new position either in the short or the long term. What of the worry and distress caused to people who have been loyal and hardworking? What a way to repay them if you don’t help them into new jobs. What about the impact of this sort of PR on your organisation? What about your employer brand and reputation with existing staff and potential recruits? 

What about litigation? Not only can an outplacement firm help the individual move forward, but the act of providing outplacement advice may help to mitigate against a departing employee’s claim should they decide to take legal action; it can be shown statistically that an individual who takes up quality outplacement advice is more likely to find a new role in an average of three months. 

It would also be true to say that some organisations seem to miss a trick when it comes to redeployment opportunities. It seems ludicrous, but often the recruitment team doesn’t spend enough time talking to the HR team involved in a restructuring or they aren’t put in touch with the outplacement consultancy. We recently helped an organisation by setting up a competency tool for employees at risk and provided redeployment workshops to cope with change and internal interview and networking skills. The result was that half were redeployed saving over £2.5m in recruitment and redundancy fees. No small sum! 

It’s people who make a difference to productivity and efficiency and, if you want to hang on to your talent, then you have to invest in them – but not at the expense of departing employees or your organisation’s reputation. Ask your Chief Executive if he is prepared to risk that!

The postholder will support the Project Manager and Chief Executive in delivering effective benchmarking, supporting member organisations in driving efficiencies from their investment activities and embedding collaborative procurement arrangements.

You will be highly motivated, and have sound knowledge and experience of contract management, procurement and cost management at a practitioner level ideally in a housing and/or construction background.

Efficiency North is a public sector consortium formed by a number of regional social landlords and is hosted by Sheffield City Council. More information on Efficiency North can be found at www.efficiencynorth.org, alternatively you can call Carl Bairstow on 07890 537206 for an informal chat.

The post will require working 37 hours per week and will be based in Sheffield, however some travel throughout Yorkshire and Humber will be expected.

Sheffield City Council is an equal opportunities employer and has publicly committed to this by signing up to the “Two Ticks – Positive About Disabled People” scheme. This ensures that all disabled applicants, able to demonstrate that they meet the minimum criteria of the job description are guaranteed an interview.

It is not enough to tick that you are disabled on the monitoring form, if you are disabled and feel this applies to you, please let us know by quoting:-  “I am eligible for a guaranteed interview under the two ticks scheme” on your application form at the bottom of the “Suitability for the Job” section. Please make sure this is written as a separate paragraph to make sure it does not get lost in the content of your application.

Closing Date:  15^th September 2010.

Please complete a form on-line at www.sheffield.gov.uk/jobs or email hrfirstjobs@capita.co.uk

to request an application form or to submit a completed form. Alternatively telephone HR First on 0114 273 4299. Please quote the relevant post reference number. Please indicate on your application form where you saw the advertisement.

The postholder will provide general administration support to the Efficiency North project team, and will also be responsible for delivering our communication strategy and developing our web portal to support our membership.

You will be highly motivated, have excellent presentational and ICT skills, have experience in project administration and supporting a team of 3 demanding managers, and experience of preparing engaging and professional communication in a variety of forms and developing and uploading website content.

Efficiency North is a public sector consortium formed by a number of regional social landlords and is hosted by Sheffield City Council. More information on Efficiency North can be found at www.efficiencynorth.org, alternatively you can call Carl Bairstow on 07890 537206 for an informal chat.

The post will require working 37 hours per week and will be based in Sheffield, however some travel throughout Yorkshire and Humber will be expected.

Sheffield City Council is an equal opportunities employer and has publicly committed to this by signing up to the “Two Ticks – Positive About Disabled People” scheme. This ensures that all disabled applicants, able to demonstrate that they meet the minimum criteria of the job description are guaranteed an interview.

It is not enough to tick that you are disabled on the monitoring form, if you are disabled and feel this applies to you, please let us know by quoting:-  “I am eligible for a guaranteed interview under the two ticks scheme” on your application form at the bottom of the “Suitability for the Job” section. Please make sure this is written as a separate paragraph to make sure it does not get lost in the content of your application.

Closing Date:  15^th September 2010.

Please complete a form on-line at www.sheffield.gov.uk/jobs

or email hrfirstjobs@capita.co.uk

to request an application form or to submit a completed form. Alternatively telephone HR First on 0114 273 4299. Please quote the relevant post reference number. Please indicate on your application form where you saw the advertisement.

This post covers the full range of prevention and assessment work as well as supporting Deaf and deaf/blind people to access other services successfully.

The team comprises a part time senior practitioner/social worker and three care managers with sign language skills. There are very close links between the workers with d/Deaf people and the Rehabilitation Officers and social worker with visually impaired people.

The successful candidate will be required to complete a Criminal Records Disclosure form in line with Section 115 of the Police Act 1997.

Sheffield City Council is an equal opportunities employer and has publicly committed to this by signing up to the “Two Ticks – Positive About Disabled People” scheme. This ensures that all disabled applicants, able to demonstrate that they meet the minimum criteria of the job description are guaranteed an interview.

It is not enough to tick that you are disabled on the monitoring form, if you are disabled and feel this applies to you, please let us know by quoting:-  “I am eligible for a guaranteed interview under the two ticks scheme” on your application form at the bottom of the “Suitability for the Job” section. Please make sure this is written as a separate paragraph to make sure it does not get lost in the content of your application.

Closing Date:  15^th September 2010.

Please complete a form on-line at www.sheffield.gov.uk/jobs or email hrfirstjobs@capita.co.uk to request an application form or to submit a completed form. Alternatively telephone HR First on 0114 273 4299. Please quote the relevant post reference number. Please indicate on your application form where you saw the advertisement.

We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and motivated person to the following post.  If you are up to the challenge, we would like to hear from you.

A Visiting Officer is required as part of a team undertaking proactive exercises to ensure that claimants receive their correct benefit entitlement.  Duties include visiting claimants in their homes, verifying the evidence supplied in support of their applications and reassessing benefit entitlement as appropriate. The successful applicant must have experience of working within a Benefit Section and an up to date knowledge of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit legislation.

Although not essential, experience of Capita’s Academy IT system would be an advantage. You must have a full driving licence (preferably clean) and use of your own vehicle for which an essential car user allowance will be paid.

For an informal discussion about this post, please contact Fred Shelton, Investigations and Interventions Manager on 01992 564170.  

Our preferred option is for candidates to apply online.  Please visit our website to apply online and view all our current vacancies at: http://applications.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/

Alternatively, for an application pack please contact Human Resources, Epping Forest District Council, Civic Offices, 323 High Street, Epping, Essex CM16 4BZ, Tel: 01992 564433 (24 hour answer service) Please quote relevant ref. (No CVs please)

Working towards equal opportunities

Leading and managing the staff and other resources of the Registration Service Unit, you will ensure the delivery of high quality, cost-effective, customer-focused services which meet the Council’s statutory responsibilities and contribute to the delivery of the Council’s Corporate Strategy.

You will also represent Cheshire East Council in matters relating to Registration and Nationality Services to stakeholders and at forums outside the Council.

Self-motivated with an innovative approach to management, you will have effective communication skills and be able to demonstrate the ability to promote the Registration Service to key stakeholders.

For an informal discussion, please contact Lindsey Parton on 01270 686477 from 10 September onwards.  For more information and to apply, visit http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/jobs_and_careers.aspx. or tel 01244 972503 quoting ref no CE632.

Closing date: 24 September

processes more open and transparent, means that it is a time of change. The Council is looking for someone who embraces change, accepts challenges and is keen to go the extra mile.

You will need to be a flexible team player with excellent organisational, written and verbal communication skills, political awareness, a confident and positive disposition and the ability to work with people at all levels, and be proficient in the use of ICT.

For this post you will have an understanding and knowledge of local government and how democracy works.

If you feel you are interested by the challenges this post offers and you would like an informal chat about the post please telephone Kulvinder Tumber, Democratic & Electoral Services Manager on 01895 837225.

Application forms and further details are available by telephoning the Personnel Unit on 01895 837287 (24-hour answerphone) e-mail: personnel@southbucks.gov.uk by writing to: The Personnel Unit, South Bucks District Council, Capswood, Oxford Road, Denham, Bucks, UB9 4LH Or on our website www.jobs.southbucks.gov.uk

The closing date for applications is September 13th 2010