First Response: Children's Services Agent

Leicestershire County Council; Glenfield; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 29,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Disability Confident Employer

Flexible working options

Job summary

Leicestershire County Council is seeking a well-organised and resilient First Response Children’s Service Agent to join the Children and Family Services Business Support Team at County Hall, Leicester. You will be the first point of contact for service users by telephone and email, process referrals, use case management systems, and liaise with Social Workers and external agencies to safeguard children.

The role offers 30 hours per week, a permanent or fixed-term contract until 31 March 2027,

Qualifications

• NVQ 2 in Customer Services or equivalent relevant qualification or experience.
• Experience communicating with a wide range of people, including professionals and the public.
• Ability to follow processes, maintain records, and prioritise workload.

Responsibilities

• Be the first point of contact for Children’s Social Care service users by telephone and email.
• Process referrals received from professionals and public via email and phone.
• Utilise case management systems for inputting and gathering information.
• Communicate with Social Workers, Team Managers and the public, escalating safeguarding concerns as needed.
• Work as part of a team and provide back-up to colleagues across locality areas.

Skills

Customer service

Professional communication

Confidentiality

Typing speed

Teamwork

Education

NVQ 2 in Customer Services or equivalent

Job description

Organisation: Leicestershire County Council

Work Location: County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester LE3 8RA

Salary: £27,717 - £29,076 per annum (pro rata for part-time)

Working Hours: 30 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent & fixed term ( Until 31st March 2027)

Closing Date: 30th October 2026

Interview Date(s): 10th Novemeber 2026

An opportunity has arisen for a well-organised and resilient individual to join the Children and Family Services Business Support Team as a First Response Children’s Service Agent. The main focus will be to act as the first point of contact for Children’s Social Care service users by telephone and email.

This role is part of the wider Business Support Service, and as such, an important part of this role is to provide back up to colleagues across locality areas and to assist in handling urgent work on a day-to-day basis.

About the Role

As a Children’s Service Agent, you will join a friendly motivated team committed to providing excellent customer service.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• To work with a range of internal and external agencies to ensure the safeguarding of children and young people and referral to services to achieve the best outcomes for the child.
• To provide the best quality service for all First Response Children’s Duty service users, maintaining professional standards and responding to concerns appropriately.
• To process a range of referrals received from professionals and members of the public via email and telephone and to be responsible for a range of generic email boxes to process different types of referrals.
• To utilise case management systems for inputting and gathering accurate and timely information.
• To consult with other agencies to obtain missing mandatory information required.
• To communicate effectively with Social Workers, Team Managers, professionals and members of the public and use initiative to respond quickly and escalate enquiries to a senior where there are immediate safeguarding concerns.
• To be able to follow written processes and guidance provided, and to be able to prioritise your own workload and work as part of a team.

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to evidence in your application how you meet the following criteria:

• Hold a NVQ 2 in Customer Services or equivalent relevant qualification or relevant experience in a customer-facing environment.
• Have experience in communicating with a wide range of people, including professionals and members of the public, and maintaining a professional demeanour.
• You must have an understanding of children and their families and their needs including services available.
• You can handle sensitive and distressing information whilst maintaining confidentiality.
• You have experience working in a fast-paced and stressful environment whilst accurately maintaining records and following processes.
• You can demonstrate the ability to prioritise your own workload and work under your own initiative, as well as working well within a team, working towards tight timescales.
• You are computer literate and have experience being an able and accurate typist.

In addition, we also expect you to shareour commitment to our valuesandto delivering accessible and inclusive services which meet the needs of all of our residents. You will be asked to demonstrate your understanding of these commitments as part of the selection process.

Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.We are a Disability Confident Employer.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which may include part time working, job sharing, term-time working, flexible start and finish times, and hybrid working, depending on the requirements of the role and the service. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below.

For more information or an informal discussion,please contact:

Simon Parn, Senior Business Support Officer

Telephone: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]

How to Apply

At Leicestershire County Council we’re looking for top talent from all walks of life. Whoever you are, wherever you’re from, and whatever your background - we care about what you bring to our organisation, not just what’s on your CV. That’s why we’ve designed a recruitment process that’s fair, accessible, and focused on potential. And with benefits that support people at every age and stage of life, we make sure you can thrive - both personally and professionally.

If you share our passion to make a difference for the people of Leicestershire, we’d love to hear from you. Click the apply button to submit your application, ensuring that you upload a supporting statement that explains how you meet the criteria listed in the ‘About You’ section above. Without this information, we won’t be able to assess your suitability for the role, and your application will be rejected. For tips on how to write your statement, see the How to Applysection on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal:https://emss.org.uk/support.

By applying for this post, you agree to ourTerms and Conditions.