Communications

“We pride ourselves in finding innovative and creative ways to communicate stories and initiatives”

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Communications at the council

Coronavirus. Devastating floods. Royal visits, happy foster families and hard-to-watch BBC documentaries. Our Communications team hasn’t just seen them all;
they’ve been at the heart of them all.

Our talented communications team enhances and protects the Council’s reputation by raising awareness of our work and priorities. We tell the story of everything we’re doing, why it’s important, and the difference it makes to the county, communities and individuals. And as well as external communications, we make sure that our staff – all 4,000 of them, all across the county – are kept informed and up to date. Because we want every employee to feel engaged, involved and empowered to be a positive advocate for the Council and our vital work.

Our Communications teams

Brand

Campaigns

Online

Events

Media

Internal Communications

Brand

We’re responsible for making sure that each piece of council communications is on brand, meets our equality and accessibility standards, and is fit for purpose. We’ve recently developed a new corporate brand, something that everyone can get behind, embrace and champion – and we did it all internally.

Campaigns

We work with the different service areas within the council to deliver key campaigns, such as recruiting foster carers for our looked after children, public health campaigns and climate change

Online

We make sure that all our digital communications and social media support both the council and the county in delivering information in a clear, concise and effective way.

Events

We organise events to promote and raise awareness of the council’s role, its overall vision and key initiatives and commitments, like what we’re doing to address the climate emergency and reduce our carbon footprint.

Media

As the corporate voice of the council, we deal with enquiries from press, journalists, research companies and many more. Basically, anyone who’s looking for an opinion from the council.

Internal Communications

We produce internal staff newsletters, organise the Chief Exec’s staff Q&A along with taking the lead on internal campaigns.

Communications team

The importance of Great Communication

We passionately believe that clear and honest communication builds stronger relationships with communities and with people. It helps to increase trust and confidence. And in these uncertain, ever-changing times, that’s really important. Whether it’s encouraging an active conversation between employees and senior leadership, or showing residents how to access a new service that’s of real benefit to them, we’re here to share these stories.

And we’ve some fantastic stories to share. Brave and unexpected stories too. Like the council’s bold decision to allow the BBC unprecedented access to our staff working in adult social care for a Panorama two-hour ‘Crisis in Care’ documentary.

As a team, we pride ourselves on being innovative and creative – on finding the best way to communicate a particular story or initiative. And while we’re quick to react, we’re always considered in our response. It’s no wonder we’re so highly respected within the council.

Meet the team

Rob Wellings, Graduate Communications Officer

“My work’s interesting, varied and stretching. Right now, I’m involved in organising our roadshow. We’ll head off to events across the county to show and tell people about our services and how they can access them. That’s really important. We’re here for them, after all.

Working at the council has really helped to boost my confidence, by providing me with support and easing me into new situations as and when I’m ready. It’s reassuring to know that, whatever issue you have, there’s always someone willing to help.

I’ve got to say, the flexible working hours do make life a lot easier. I’m able to work remotely once a week – which means less time commuting and more time doing a job I love.”

Get in touch

We're always pleased to hear from talented people. So if you've got any questions about the opportunities that we have available in Communications, or if there's anything else you'd like to know before you apply (or even during the application process), please get in touch with us.

Email the team

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"The council is full of supportive colleagues who encourage you to try your best. I really enjoyed building close working relationships with colleagues across the council. They’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, and every colleague's skillset and background is valued."

"The council offer flexible working and really trust their colleagues to work from home. Management is supportive and avoids resorting to without micro-managing. There are opportunities to develop with managers keen to support your career progression."

"Supportive and inclusive employer. Working here is immensely rewarding, knowing you have helped so many people. The way SCC has dealt with the challenges presented by Covid, and the support it has given the community, makes me feel proud to be part of the organisation"

"Salaries aren't as high as private sector, but the great benefits package does make up for that. The council offer flexible working and lots of opportunity to build a long-term career in an ever changing government organisation. If you like the challenge of continuous change, this could be the place for you."

"If feel that my work for the council is hugely valuable. That I am supporting some incredibly important services. The organisation is forward-thinking in terms of ways of working, offering good technology and working-from-home benefits, all underpinned by an understanding management culture."

"The council is a good place to work if you want to work part time. You have access to ongoing learning. Management on the whole is good. Everyone works very hard, focused on doing something worthwhile and helping professionals, and keen to demonstrate that they are offering good value for money."

"Working for the council is challenging and stimulating. Social Care is difficult but rewarding when the quality of the service can be maintained. There is a genuine culture of reward for hard work. Social Care is a changing and evolving service, and the council has a dynamic reputation."

"Supportive work environment and colleagues. Over the last 12 years I have worked with a variety of brilliant teams, each time developing new skills and gaining experience. SCC has adapted well to remote working during the pandemic with staff wellbeing at the top of the agenda."