Team Leader

• Suffolk County Council 
• Address: West Suffolk House, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 3YU - Hybrid
• Salary: £35,570 per annum (pro rata)
• Hours: 18.5 hours to include every other weekend
• Contract: Permanent

We’re passionate about improving the future for our customers, our communities and the environment. If you are too, join us as an Out of Hours Allocation Team Leader and make a huge and meaningful impact. Your innovation and drive will help us to continue improving and evolving. Our opportunities and support will enable you to make a difference and leave a positive, lasting legacy.  

Reimagine the possibilities. 

Your role and responsibilities 

As an Out of Hours Allocation Team Leader, you will play a key role in ensuring customers receive timely access to reablement and care services. You will coordinate referrals received from community and hospital teams, managing allocations through the Home First scheduling system to ensure work is distributed effectively to Reablement Support Workers. Acting as the first point of triage within Liquidlogic, you will monitor incoming referrals, identify cases requiring urgent attention, and help maintain the smooth flow of work across the service.

Working closely with Team Leaders and the Registered Manager, you will use data, performance information, and operational insight to resolve allocation challenges and maximise service capacity. You will oversee scheduling processes, minimise workflow bottlenecks, and ensure customers are allocated promptly to reduce delays in assessment, reablement, and domiciliary care provision. You will also support the management of Home First referrals in line with access criteria and Provider of Last Resort responsibilities.

You will ensure all activity is carried out in accordance with relevant legislation, policies, procedures, and statutory requirements, maintaining accurate and up-to-date records within Liquidlogic and other systems. You will support service improvements by adapting to changing priorities, contributing to change initiatives, and helping the team respond flexibly to urgent or emerging demands.

Building strong relationships will be an important part of the role. You will work collaboratively with Health colleagues, partner organisations, and referring agencies to promote integrated ways of working and improve outcomes for customers. You will also champion excellent customer service, keeping customers informed about timescales and next steps, supporting complaint investigations where required, and contributing to the efficient day-to-day operation of the Home First service.

Alongside your operational responsibilities, you will participate in supervision, team meetings, training, and development opportunities, helping to maintain high standards of practice and continuous service improvement.

You will need 

• A good standard of education, ideally degree level or NVQ Level 3 in Health or Social Care.
• A strong understanding of Home First services, Adult Social Care legislation, and statutory responsibilities.
• Experience of supervising or managing staff and coordinating complex workloads effectively.
• The ability to prioritise high volumes of work, assess risk, and make informed allocation decisions for vulnerable adults and carers.
• Experience of reablement or domiciliary care allocation systems, with the ability to use, or willingness to learn, Liquidlogic and other case management systems.
• Strong IT skills, including confidence using Microsoft Office, digital systems, and electronic records.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to produce concise and accurate reports.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with customers, families, colleagues, and partner organisations.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the ‘How to apply’ section towards the bottom of this advert.  

If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application. 

The team 

Rota pattern

Home First provides short-term reablement care and support to people living in their own homes, helping them regain independence following a hospital stay, illness, or crisis, while also preventing unnecessary hospital admissions. As part of the team, you will work closely with colleagues across Adult Community Services, Independent Providers, Health partners, Borough and District Councils, Multi-Agency Safeguarding teams, and voluntary sector organisations to deliver coordinated support for Suffolk residents.

This is a hybrid role, with dedicated office-based days during the week for collaboration, sharing best practice, and supporting colleagues. The role also includes working every other weekend from home, providing countywide Home First support alongside colleagues from other area teams. Home First is a fast-paced and rewarding service where the work you do makes a genuine difference to people's lives. Our enthusiastic and supportive team is guided by Suffolk County Council's We Aspire values, creating an environment where colleagues can thrive while helping others achieve greater independence.

Empowering Everyone 

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report.

For more information 

Please contact Rachel Sadler (she/her). You can reach her by emailing [email protected]

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word). 

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement indicating how you meet each of the criteria in the ‘Person Profile’ section of the JPP.  

• You should use the Supporting Statement template (Word). 
• Please use Arial font size 11 and keep your statement to a maximum of two sides of A4. 

Step 4 - Upload a CV (Curriculum Vitae) (without name and personal details). 

Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.  

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page. 

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable. 

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at [email protected] or 03456 014412.  You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages.  

Closing date: 11.30pm, 24 November 2026.

Interview date: Week commencing 7 December 2026.

This is part of the HFS (Home First Service) wider job family.

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.  #LI-Hybrid