Administrative Assistant

Surrey County Council; Horsell; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in England seeks an Administration Assistant to support their DOLS Team. The role involves processing requests, managing communications, and various administrative tasks. Ideal candidates will possess excellent communication and IT skills and have experience in a busy office environment. The salary starts at £27,634 per annum, with flexible working options available.

Benefits

26 days' holiday

Employee Assistance Programme

Learning and development opportunities

Pension scheme

Lifestyle discounts

Qualifications

• Experience supporting administrative processes.
• Ability to communicate complex information effectively.
• Understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to the DOLS team.
• Respond to complex enquiries from families and agencies.
• Process DOLS authorisation requests.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

IT skills (Excel, databases)

Ability to work under pressure

Customer service skills

Minute taking experience

Ability to work as part of a team

Education

Experience in a busy office environment

Tools

Excel

Job description

• Location: Victoria Gate, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6JD

Description

We are committed to the development of our workforce.This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

This role has a starting salary of £27,634 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week. This is a full-time permanent position (part-time applications will be considered).

We are excited to be hiring a new Administration Assistant to join and provide comprehensive administrative support to our fantastic Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) Team, based in Victoria Gate, Woking.

To support a healthy work life balance, there is an opportunity to work flexibly, including from your own home and at other Surrey County Council offices.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the Team

The DOLS Team works closely with advocacy providers and as an Administrative Assistant you will follow the referral process for Independent Mental Capacity Advocates and Relevant Person's Representatives. All tasks require use of IT systems and databases, and data entry and record keeping are an essential part of the role.

The team consists of administrative staff, DOLS Coordinators and Best Interest Assessors who work collaboratively together. There is an ethos of supporting each other and team working to ensure that the objectives of the team are achieved.

About the Role

In this role, you will undertake administrative duties to support a small, countywide team, which provides and commissions specialist assessments under the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards legislation.

As an Administrative Assistant, you will be supporting the administrative processes within the DOLS team, which includes responding to complex telephone and email enquiries from families, assessors and partner agencies. Key parts of the role include the processing of DOLS authorisation requests from care homes and hospitals, allocating these requests to assessors and authorisers, paying invoices and sending out authorisation paperwork.

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to further develop your understanding and experience of the Mental Capacity Act and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards within a specialist administrative role, which offers a diversity of tasks and responsibilities.

Administrative support is integral to the efficient operation of the team, and staff are highly valued and supported through provision of regular supervision, weekly administrative team catch-up meetings and performance conversations. Administrative staff work closely with Best Interests Assessors and DOLS Coordinators, and shadowing of these other roles is encouraged for career development, as well as enhancing knowledge and experience.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• IT skills, specifically using excel, navigating databases and interpreting data
• Ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines
• Excellent customer service skillsand minute taking experience
• Previous experience of working within a busy office environment and ability to work as part of a team
• Understanding and/or experience working with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Application Questions

To apply, alongside your CV, you will be asked to answer the following questions:

• Describe a time when you had to communicate complex information. How did you ensure your message was clearly understood, and what was the outcome?
• Tell us about your IT experience including using Excel and databases. Can you provide an example of how you've interpreted data to support a decision?
• Give an example of a situation where you had to manage multiple tasks or deadlines simultaneously. How did you prioritise your workload, and what strategies did you use to stay organised under pressure?
• Please outline your experience working in a busy office environment. Include details of any responsibilities involving note-taking or minute writing, and how you contributed to team success.
• Please describe your understanding and any experience working with the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS).

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

For an informal discussion please contact Liz Lawson.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 29th September 2025 with interviews to follow.

We look forward to receiving your application, please click on the apply online button below to submit.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas.

Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils.

The Surrey Way behaviours are a guide that supports our council to work together effectively and deliver our best for our customers and communities, and for each other. Discover more about our behaviours.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description. OurLife at Surrey handbook also provides insights of the culture at Surrey and how as a valued employee, you can help shape our Council.

Our Commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applicants where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.