Overview
The Senior Social Worker leads the Team's social care agenda, championing the principles of personalisation, wellbeing, and ensuring individuals’ rights to choice and control. They will supervise social care staff, carry out complex assessments of need, plan and deliver services, review outcomes with the individual and their support networks, and work in partnership with community partners to ensure needs are met. They will act as a champion and leader of social care within the locality/quadrant, providing robust, expert social care practice advice and ensuring high quality, cost-effective services.
Responsibilities
* Promote and lead the social care agenda in line with personalisation, promoting wellbeing and individuals’ rights to choice and control
* Carry out complex assessments of need, plan and deliver services, and review outcomes with the individual, their personal support networks and support providers
* Ensure practice within the team is responsive, inclusive and community-based with a clear focus on outcomes; bring professional expertise to complex cases
* Supervise social care staff within the team and support the wider team with social care
* Manage the provision of assessments under the Care Act 2014 and reviews of packages of care
* Work collaboratively with community partners to ensure individuals and families are supported and their needs are met
* Act as a champion and leader of social care within the locality/quadrant
* Be professionally registered
In return, we can offer you
* Leadership and management training opportunities
* 5% high cost allowance supplement (subject to a minimum and maximum payment pro rata)
* 27 days holiday rising to 33 days plus bank holidays (pro rata where applicable)
* One of the UK's best pension schemes
* Comprehensive health and wellbeing services
* Special leave for family and personal reasons
* NHS Car Lease Scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme
Role details
Senior Social Workers are a key part of the senior management team. The focus of the role is to promote, lead and act in accordance with the principles of personalisation, ensure the team is working to promote wellbeing, and enable individuals’ rights to choice and control. You will carry out complex assessments of need, plan and deliver services and review outcomes with the individual, their personal support networks and support providers. You will lead the Team's social care agenda, supervise staff, act as a champion and leader of social care within the locality/quadrant, and provide robust social care practice advice in partnership with other senior colleagues. You will manage a small caseload of complex cases and oversee assessments and reviews. Partnership working is key, including innovative approaches to local service provision and engagement with service users and carers to empower them and improve services through feedback.
You must hold a full valid driving license and have access to a car for business use (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
Qualifications
* An appropriate professional social work qualification
* Registration with General Social Care Council
* Education to degree level
* Masters Degree or equivalent training
* Approved Mental Health Professional training and qualification (or prepared to undertake training within a year of appointment)
* Relevant post-qualifying training for social workers
Desirable criteria
* Other post-qualifying training e.g. CBT, family therapy
* Best Interests Assessment training with strong post-qualification experience and evidence of excellent practice
* Extensive knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance, theory and policy in relation to adult and children’s social care
* Experience of undertaking assessments focused on personalisation, choice and control, and care planning; understanding of personal budgets and direct payments
* Experience of supervising and mentoring staff
* Experience of multidisciplinary and partnership working with service users and carers
* Experience of working as an Approved Mental Health Professional
* Experience as a Best Interests assessor with excellent communication skills with a wide range of stakeholders
* Experience in managing difficult meetings and handling highly sensitive information
* Experience using electronic recording systems and producing accurate, timely reports; ability to analyse service user and carer information
* Experience of small-scale audits and surveys
* Understanding of basic research methods; ability to work sensitively with diverse needs and environments
* Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice
Physical effort
* Ability to visit and attend meetings at a variety of locations and environments
* Experience of using computer systems; literate to ECDL standard
* Able to travel between bases and offices as required
Mental effort
* Flexibility to respond to a variety of tasks and prioritise own workload
* Ability to manage others and convey information that may be contentious to achieve improvements and outcomes
Emotional effort
* Ability to deal with distressing and sometimes aggressive behaviour of service users, carers and colleagues
* Experience of working in an integrated health and social care environment
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are a recognised mental health trust with a strong focus on delivering care in the community and inpatient settings. Our staff provide health and social care for people across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Norfolk, with services spanning mental health, physical health and learning disabilities. Our Trust values are underpinned by choice, independence and equality, and we are committed to supporting our staff with development, wellbeing and work-life balance.
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