Help applying for jobs with the County Council
Applications for vacancies with the Council should be made online.
We do not accept speculative applications, all applications must be made via CV and cover letter or application in the system, depending on what the hiring manager has asked for. This helps us ensure that information from candidates is presented in a standard format. Exceptions can be made, for candidates with a disability for example.
Guidance on applying for jobs with the Council
Our Recruitment and Selection Policy [86.8 KB] [docx] sets out the procedure for recruiting and selecting staff at the County Council. The policy is designed to ensure the recruitment and selection process is fair, open and transparent and promotes equal opportunities to all groups throughout the local community.
All the key information about a vacancy will be available in the advert text, job description and person specification. You should read these in detail before applying. If you have questions about the job, there will be a person named within the advert text whom you can contact.
The ‘How do you meet the essential and desirable criteria’ sections of the application form are your opportunity to tell us how you meet the content of the person specification. You need to demonstrate how your skills, knowledge and experience match what we require. As well as what you have learned or acquired from previous employment, you can include details from other life experiences too. Remember, the shortlisting panel cannot guess or make assumptions about your skills, knowledge or experience.
We also advertise vacancies with other local organisations. Details about how to apply for them will be in the advert.
How we decide who to interview
The recruiting manager will look at the information provided in the applications to see how it meets the criteria identified in the person specification.
The Council is a Disability Confident employer. If you have a disability, this lets you know that:
- we will make reasonable adjustments to make sure you are considered for the job on an equal basis with other applicants.
- If the manager is satisfied your application shows you meet all the essential criteria, you will normally automatically be shortlisted for interview. However, in line with the National Disability Confident scheme, if there is a high number of suitable applications for a vacancy and its therefore not possible to interview all applicants, we will select those disabled candidates who best meet the essential criteria for a role. It may also be necessary to limit the overall number of disabled and non-disabled candidates interviewed for a vacancy.
Find out more about Equality and diversity at the Council.
Rehabilitation of ex-offenders and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
As part of the application process, you will be asked to declare information relating to previous employment dismissals and criminal convictions. For further details about why we ask for this and what you should or shouldn’t declare, you can visit the Disclosure and Barring Service or Ex-offenders and employment on GOV.UK.
The DBS decides who should be barred from working with vulnerable groups. We undertake DBS checks for our own staff where the nature of their role requires it.
DBS Policy [94.6 KB] [docx]
DBS Checks for contractors [95.4 KB] [docx]
We also provide a DBS Umbrella Body Service for other organisations.
Reference policy
For most roles we will not contact your references until after we have made you a conditional job offer and you have accepted the offer. For certain roles reference may be sought at an earlier stage. Find out more about how and when we seek employment references.
If you have previously worked for the Council and will be requesting a reference from your previous manager please email employee.services@eastsussex.gov.uk when requesting your reference.
Whether you are starting your career, looking for a new role, planning to go back into education or finding work after redundancy, there is plenty of good advice available:
If there are currently no vacancies advertised on our jobs pages in the area of work you are interested, you can apply for any available temporary, short term assignments through our temporary agency partner, Adecco.
Adecco employ workers directly for some types of work as well as partnering with a range of local and national temporary recruitment agencies.
If you are interested in applying for temporary assignments, please email your details, including the type of work you are interested in, to ESCC@adecco.co.uk, and a member of the team will advise you of the agencies you can register with.
Steps To Work is a Supported Employment service within Adult Social Care and Health which forms part of East Sussex County Council’s Learning Disability, directly provided services.
Our main aim is to support people with Learning Disabilities into paid employment. We currently offer community-based projects, as well as routes into employment via work placements with local employers throughout East Sussex. Our team of dedicated Job Coaches are available to help and support people at each stage of their journey; we offer training, information and employment guidance to our job seekers and trainees on a 1:1 and group basis. We will reduce our support as people become confident in their role and develop the skills to demonstrate independent working. We will always be just a phone call away if we’re needed.
Trainees are given the opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge by completing accredited qualifications, such as a Level 1 Employability Skills Award to enhance their CV.
Referrals into Steps To Work can be made by care management who identify peoples eligible need.
Service details
Location
Bellbrook Resource Centre, Bell Lane, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1QL (directions displayed on map)
Organisation
East Sussex County Council (Adult Social Care LD DPS)
Service type
Employment Support
Primary client group
Young people/Adults' services
Organisation sector
- Local government
Health conditions
- Autism
- Learning disabilities
Training can help you to improve your skills, knowledge and career prospects. It can also be a good way to meet new colleagues and business contacts.
Here are some ways to access training both in and out of the workplace.
Apprenticeships
If you’re over 16, you can learn while you earn with an apprenticeship.
Youth Employability Service (YES) - Careers East Sussex
Impartial information, advice and guidance for 16-18 year olds.
Courses we provide
East Sussex County Council corporate training service
Details on the extensive range of open and bespoke training courses the Council provides including leadership development, personal development and IT skills.
Free training courses for independent care providers
Directories of free residential and domiciliary training courses for managers and frontline workers in the independent care sector.
East Sussex Learning Portal
Courses for East Sussex County Council staff including apprenticeships and qualifications and school governors.
Workplace training
How we help our staff continue their career development and details of our work training schemes.
More resources online
Find business training courses – GOV.UK
Advice on how to keep learning in the workplace.
Employment, skills and training
Vocational training and training partners in East Sussex for local business.
Apprenticeship and Qualifications Team complaints policy
Apprenticeship and Qualifications Team complaints policy
Policy and procedure for raising a complaint.
- The County Council seeks employment references in order to provide a factual check on a candidate’s employment history and experience, and to help confirm the candidate’s suitability for the job they have applied for.
- As standard, we request the contact details of two referees from all applicants: their current, or most recent employer and a second employer. If you have not previously been employed, are self-employed, or have only worked for a single employer, please provide contact details for an academic and/or a character referee. In addition, where your application indicates you have worked for the County Council before, we may also seek a reference from your former line manager.
- For some posts covered by more rigorous safer recruitment standards, such as those in Children’s’ Residential Services, we reserve the right to contact any and all previous employers.
- References are generally taken up after interview. For some posts, such as those in Children’s’ Residential Services and teaching staff in schools, references may be sought at an earlier stage. Candidates that state they do not wish us to contact their referees prior to interview will not be penalised in any way. The exception is candidates applying for residential posts in Children’s Services whereby given the nature of these services, candidates cannot refuse permission for the County Council to contact their referees prior to interview.
- To ensure authenticity and accuracy, we seek references direct from the referee, and cannot accept open references or those addressed ‘to whom it may concern’
- Our standard reference pro forma asks for confirmation of job title and employment dates, the referee’s views on your suitability for the post, and any warnings/disciplinaries. For people that will be working with children or vulnerable adults, we also ask the referee to provide any information they have concerning convictions for the candidate under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) (Amendments) Order 1986.
- If we seek a reference prior to a conditional offer of employment being made, this will not include questions about sickness absence or medical history. However, we will confirm absence dates with your referees after a conditional offer of employment has been made.
- There will be some occasions where recruiting managers take up telephone references, for example where the preferred candidate can start immediately and a quick response from the referee is required to avoid unnecessary delays, or in other circumstances where it is more pragmatic to take this approach. In these circumstances, the recruiting manager will ensure that the reference is factual, and that clear written notes are made.
- All references must be kept confidential at all times. This means they will only be disclosed to colleagues directly involved in the recruitment process or involved in the administration of an employee’s contract of employment. Where a referee supplies a reference on a confidential basis, the Council cannot disclose the reference to an applicant.
- For more information about the information we process as part of the recruitment process and beyond, please see our privacy notices for job applicants and employees.
Refer a friend to work at ESCC
Through this scheme, employees who introduce a friend to a Support Worker role within Adult Social Care Directly Provided Services can in return receive a £250 payment.
If successfully appointed, the friend will also receive a £250 payment after completing their first year of service.
You will be eligible to receive the refer a friend incentive payment if you meet the following criteria:
-
You must be directly employed by East Sussex County Council (ESCC) and on ESCC conditions of service, or work for the Council via a casual worker agreement
- You refer someone to apply for a Support Worker or Lead Support Worker vacancy in Adult Social Care Directly Provided Services, and that person is successfully appointed to a contracted role and confirms who referred them.
The scheme does not apply to:
- Agency workers, external contractors, Elected Members, or anyone who is not an employee of the County Council.
- Members of staff who are directly involved in the recruitment process, such as the shortlisting/interview panel.
How does the person I am referring apply for a post?
Applicants simply need to submit their application for a Support Worker role within Adult Social Care Directly Provided Services, and confirm on their application that they saw the vacancy due to your referral.
See available support worker roles on the ESCC website.
How do I apply for a referral payment?
Once your friend has been successfully employed, please send an email the Recruitment Support Team to apply for your payment. Please make it clear in the email the full name and job title of the person you are referring. Referral payments must be applied for within three months of the friend starting work, and you will receive the referral payment after the friend has completed three months' service.
How does the person I refer receive their payment?
New employees referred via the scheme receive their £250 payment after completing a year’s service in post. Their line manager will arrange this.
For full details, please see the Refer a Friend Scheme document [94.8 KB] [docx]
If you are having difficulty with your application or to discuss submitting it in another format, please contact the Recruitment Support Team:
Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5pm
Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm
Telephone 01273 335733
Email Recruitment Support