Distribution Managers

Dublin South Central

Salary: See Description for Details

Other

Cover for Secondment

Job Summary

The Child and Family Agency was established on 1st January 2014 and is responsible for a range of statutory functions including provision of child protection, alternative care, specified regulatory services and a range of family support services. The Agency has commenced a major improvement programme with significant focus on Practice, Culture and Structure.

The Agency currently has responsibility for a budget in excess of €800m and delivers its services through circa 5,000 people in 350 locations across the Country.

The Child and Family Agency has responsibility for the following range of services:

• Child Protection and Welfare
• Family Support
• Alternative Care
• Adoption
• Tusla Education Support Services (TESS)
• Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence (DSGBV)
• Children’s Service Regulation
• Counselling and Therapeutic Supports

Further information is available on www.tusla.ie

The Area Manager will:

• be primarily accountable for the delivery of integrated services that are provided by the Child and Family Agency in DSC
• deliver these services in line with national and regional performance targets and standards
• To manage resources to ensure optimum service delivery in line with Tusla’s business and corporate plan.
• Along with the regional chief officer, to lead Tusla structural, practice and culture reform

• be required to manage regional and national services or projects, as may be assigned, from time to time, by the relevant Regional Chief Officer;
• proactively manage delegated authority, as may be assigned from time to time, by the relevant Regional Chief Officer.
• contribute to regional and national working groups and policy formation as appropriate, for example at Area Manager Meetings, project groups, policy implementation
• work closely with the leads for National Services (Residential, TESS, DSGBV and Commissioning) to ensure that clients have access to the comprehensive range of Tusla services and those most appropriate to their particular circumstances.

Job Objectives

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Governance

• Establish and maintain an area committed to delivering services in accordance with leglislation, Financial and service standards and regulations.
• Be ever vigilant in the protection of high standards in all aspects of practice and services delivered to children and families, the working environment and the wider organisation.
• Ensure staff are supported to understand the importance of governance. Assist staff to develop attitudes and practices supportive of good governance so that it becomes hallmark of the area e.g. accurate and comprehensive record keeping.
• Be focussed in always seeking opportunities to continuously improve the services provided to children and families.

Staff Management & Leadership

• Manage the designated staff resources, ensuring that staff levels and skill mix are appropriate and within agreed resources allocation.
• Participate in the recruitment, selection and appointment of staff in conjunction with the appropriate personnel and procedures.
• Be responsible for identifying training and development needs of staff and ensure the implementation of appropriate training in conjunction with the national training office.
• Lead staff by example, holding oneself accountable to the highest standards of excellence in service delivery, expected by Tusla’s clients.
• Support staff to deliver to the highest standards of excellence in all aspects of their work, providing support to staff when required and challenging underperformance in a manner that is fair to all.
• Lead by example in the development and maintenance of an organisation culture characterised by creativity, innovation, collaboration and candour.

Culture & Vision

• Establish and maintain a working environment and ethos in accordance with Tusla’s Values & Behaviours. Recognise the demonstration of these Values & Behaviours and challenge those acting contrary to the Agency’s Values and Behaviours.
• Demonstrate the ability to deal with complex ethical and professional issues.
• Anticipate and prepare for the future, dealing with complex issues
• Collaborate effectively with partners towards a shared vision, focussed on the needs of children and families.
• Ensure that a culture is created that allows staff and people who use services to take risks appropriately.
• Demonstrate confidence and self-belief in respect of the vision.

Change Management

• Actively support the implementation of Change Programmes (for e.g. NCCIS, CPWS) ensuring all actions required to introduce, embed, and maintain, the change is taken by relevant staff.
• Retain a focus on people who use services and their carers during the change process.

Risk Management

• Demonstrate a clear knowledge of the legislative framework within which risk is managed.
• Support the development of a culture which manages risk wisely and proportionately, involving the Agency’s partners, and children, families and communities as appropriate.
• Demonstrate the ability to deal with complex ethical issues and make informed judgements.
• Support the development and maintenance of a risk register.

Communication

• Clearly articulate and communicate the Agency’s vision in a range of contexts
• Ensure that awareness of the Agency’s vision is promoted both within the relevant Area / Services and with partner organisations.
• Demonstrate leadership in building support for the vision.
• Personally maintain, and require designated staff to act in accordance with, the highest standards of professionalism, efficiency and accuracy in all communications, internally and externally.

Resource Management

• Be responsible for the use of resources, including staff, to achieve the best outcomes for children and families, in line with the Agency’s Corporate and Business plans.
• Demonstrate the effective use of influencing skills in respect of resources not directly controlled.
• Support all relevant internal processes related to the provision of resources within the Area e.g. Recruitment.

Integrity

• Demonstrate the ability to uphold personal and professional ethics and values.
• Demonstrate an appropriate use of authority.
• Demonstrate the courage and ability to take appropriate action if ethics and values are compromised.

Continuing Professional Development

• Pursue / access CPD opportunities relevant to the role and ongoing development.
• Support staff to pursue / access relevant CPD opportunities.
• Demonstrate the ability to apply learning into practice.

Developing networks / partnerships

• Demonstrate the ability to identify opportunities for collaboration and co-operation across organisational and functional boundaries.
• Demonstrate a clear sense of role within partnership arrangements.
• Promote self-determination and autonomy for people who use services, and for their carers.

Building Capacity

• Take responsibility for the provision of encouragement and opportunity for people who use services, carers and communities to engage in partnerships
• Demonstrate the ability to create a culture of collaboration and co-operation.

Financial Management

• Hold budgetary responsibility and be accountable for ensuring that services operate within the agreed budgetary levels in the area.
• Ensure that expenditure is controlled within agreed limits and in compliance with approved procedures within the Child and Family Agency.
• Ensure that appropriate financial information is provided to the relevant management team.
• Maintain such financial records as required by the Child and Family Agency.
• Prepare Service Level Agreement within child care service providers in the Region.
• Implement Service Level Agreements with child care providers in the Region and within the agreed national framework.
• Assume management responsibility for the distribution, utilisation, monitoring and control of resources so as to deliver efficient and cost-effective Child and Family Agency services.

Health & Safety

• Comply with and contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
• Have a working knowledge of the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) Standards as they apply to the service for example National Standards for Child Protection and Care and comply with associated Tusla – Child and Family Agency protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
• To support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Skills Required

Applicants must by the closing date of application have the following:

• Relevant 3rd level qualification.
• Have a minimum of 3 years’ experience at senior management level in the Child and Family Agency/HSE or another relevant organisation.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Character

Each candidate for and any person holding the office must be of good character.

Skills

• CPD
• Civil Partnerships
• U.S. Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
• HSE auditing

Requirements

• Availability Full-Time
• Education Bachelor
• Experience Fresh - 2 Year
• Gender No Preference