Senior Social Worker - Older People's Team, based in Basildon

Senior Social Worker - Older People's Team
Based at Basildon covering Castlepoint, Rayleigh and Rochhford
Salary from GBP34,000- GBP42,000 per annum
Permanent, Full Time Contract



If shortlisted interviews are provisionally booked for 13th October 2017.

This is your opportunity to be the Senior Social Worker you want to be. You became a social worker to help change lives for the better. By following the Care Act and promoting Good Lives you can make a difference in changing the life for our vulnerable adults. It's about having the time to really get to know your service users and understand the issues they face, and the autonomy to deliver creatively tailored solutions.

By assessing the individual's needs you can discuss options available to ensure the customer feels supported and valued. Adult Operations truly believe in their value statement "Helping People to Help Themselves by Making Personalisation Real".

The role of the Senior Social Worker is to ensure that professional intervention is appropriately discharged to maximise vulnerable people's potential in being able to support themselves within agreed resources. The role is underpinned through the 6 key principles defined by the Care Act 2014.

The Adult Operations function delivers direct provision of services relating to vulnerable adults and their families. These services are delivered against specifications set by the People Commissioning function in line with the County Council's overarching outcomes.

The role reports directly to an Operational Team Manager and will be a member of a small team (10- 15 FTE) of Social workers, Occupational Therapists and Support Workers. Teams are aligned to GP clusters/districts and focused on one of the following areas- working age adults, older people, or older adult mental health in addition there are hospital assessment teams co-located with NHS colleagues and a number of specialist teams with countywide remits.

The postholder is responsible for working with individuals who have complex social needs and are more vulnerable as a result of disability, exclusion, or diminished capacity. They will be required to support the Operational Team Manager by modelling good practice, setting expectations for others and taking responsibility and accountability for the practice of others and mentoring newly qualified social workers. The role also requires the post holder to build on existing relationships with strategic partners, particularly where there is a joint agency team.

Experienced social workers practice with a level of autonomy, demonstrating expert and effective practice in complex situations, assessing and managing higher levels of risk, striking a balance between support and control, liaising with a wide range of professionals, including senior levels.

Key accountabilities

• To assess, review and provide help to an individual, family or carer with complex family or social care needs, taking full account of appropriate policy and guidance. This will include taking due account of the principles of personalisation, the six key principles underpinning adult safeguarding work, and relevant legal frameworks.
  
• To intervene and provide help to an individual or family whose complex family or social care needs or risks indicate that they need ongoing professional support which they might not normally be willing to accept.
  
• To enable an adult who has been abused or neglected to improve their circumstances, where it is unclear whether the person lacks mental capacity to make decisions, or where it is unclear whether their decisions are compromised by the undue influence of others.
  
• To seek to promote social justice and rights by challenging neglect, discrimination and exclusion, and helping to build safe, strong and caring social networks and communities.
  
• To be the lead professional in collaborative work in situations where a social work perspective is needed to inform or drive decision-making, ensuring that a legally based, human rights perspective is applied to when and how interventions are made in the lives of individuals, families and communities experiencing complex social and family problems
  
• To take a lead on community development to assess, identify and maximise the strengths or assets of individuals, their families and their communities.
  
• To build relationships with individuals and families who find it difficult to engage with services but need support to develop or maintain independence or autonomy.
  
• Taking on roles that require autonomous professional decision-making, concerning the restriction of personal liberty and/or involving significant infringements of private and family life. For example, when working as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or Best Interests Assessor (BIA); when making decisions that an adult safeguarding case has reached the threshold for statutory intervention
  
• Taking responsibility for the learning, development and practice of others, including through local leadership of practice, or supervision of colleagues and students.
  
• Providing professional leadership and opinion within multidisciplinary contexts and responsible for arguing their case confidently and persuasively in multidisciplinary discussions, or other situations involving conflicting views, such as with family members in court proceedings.
  
• To ensure a high level of data quality for all information recorded, ensuring that the information is timely, accurate and complete to ensure the service meets all statutory recording requirements.
  

Knowledge, skills and experience

• Diploma / Degree in Social Work
  
• HCPC registered
  
• Evidence of continuing professional development e.g. MCA BIA AMHP
  
• A good working knowledge and ability to use information technology and related systems.
  
• 3 years relevant experience in Social Care setting.
  
• Evidence of working with a complex caseload that is underpinned by evidence based practice.
  
  

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wide operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

As part of employment with Essex County Council should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please visit:

Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees, including:

• A local government pension scheme (LGPS), a career average scheme with employee and employer contributions
  
• Annual leave entitlement of up to 29 days per year (depending upon grade and length of service)
  
• Purchase of additional annual leave (up to agreed limits)
  
• Flexible working arrangements (for most roles but depending upon service requirements)
  
• Discounted shopping through a dedicated Reward Portal (including discounts at major supermarkets)
  
• Training and development and payment of professional fees (approved professions only)
  
• Relocation package (up to GBP8,000) where agreed
  
• Employee assistance programme provided in-house (wellbeing and counselling provision)
  
• Childcare vouchers, through salary sacrifice
  

Please note ECC regularly reviews its reward and benefits

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is key to our success.

If you have any queries regarding this role, or require anything further, please contact the Essex Recruitment Team on *.

*Calls to this number will cost 7 pence per minute plus your telephone company's access charge