Social Worker

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE POWER OF CREATIVE THERAPY

Adult Social Care in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories, where our passionate, caring and committed professionals do brilliant work every day.

Mr J's mental health had declined in which he was admitted to hospital. While he was being looked after we grew concerned about his personal care and lack of routine, and quickly realised that he needed social care support, to support his independence and help prepare him for a successful return to the community he loved.

He was assigned to Ms T, one of our experienced Mental Health Social Workers, who took a strengths-based, person-centred approach to his recovery. From their very first meetings, she built a strong rapport with Mr J and discovered he had a real passion for painting. She encouraged his creativity by providing art supplies and linking him with art therapy, helping him use his imagination and love of colour to manage his emotions and rediscover a genuine sense of purpose and fulfilment.

Working together, Ms T and Mr J developed a personalised plan for his discharge. This included re-establishing daily routines, building support networks, and engaging with a range of creative outlets. And so he could receive support and encouragement when he was back home, she also helped to connect him with a number of local art and mental health groups.

By the time he left hospital, Mr J felt much more positive, confident and hopeful about the future. His journey illustrates how our amazing Social Workers transform lives for the better, and focusing on a person's creativity, strengths and connection to their community can make a world of difference to their mental health.

As a Social Worker with our multi-disciplinary Step-Down/Pathway One team you can make your own powerful contribution to Westminster's success. Working alongside colleagues from a range of different disciplines, you'll assess people's care needs once they've been discharged from hospital, and ensure they have all the support they need to live safely in the community. Your Care Act assessment plans will identify where assistive technology will help to promote the independence of the residents you work with, reduce their dependence on statutory services and enable them to live in their own homes.

With a varied and complex caseload, an important part of your role will involve undertaking safeguarding investigations and working to minimise and manage risk while enabling your customers to maintain their chosen lifestyle. Committed to working in line with a range of policies and procedures including health and safety, case recording, supervision, data protection and information governance, you'll participate in service improvements, and provide advice and information to colleagues and other stakeholders on the role of the service and the social workers who work in it.

Your additional responsibilities will include participating in an urgent response duty system, informing your manager of any significant events, ensuring that your professional registration and DBS are up to date, and taking responsibility for your continued professional development. We'll also expect you to work on appraisals, audits and practice evaluations, participate in best interest and practice teacher training, and undertake carer's assessments and support planning.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

With a recognised Social Work Qualification (CQSW/Diploma in Social Work or Degree in Social Work, and membership of Social Work England, you should have at least one year's post-qualification experience in a local authority or health setting, and experience of working in a social services duty system. We'll also look for well developed knowledge of relevant legislation, a strong commitment to the principles of personalisation, independence and choice, and experience of working in a multi-disciplinary setting with older or physically disabled people.

Capable of carrying out accurate assessments and promoting self-directed care, you'll take a proactive approach to your work, preventing crises and breakdowns, and keeping a comprehensive record of service users' support needs. A superb communicator, your excellent writing skills will allow you to produce clear, concise reports, and you should also have confident IT skills, with a particular focus on the Microsoft Office suite of software.

Ready to work both independently and as a member of a collaborative team, and capable of prioritising your workload while meeting deadlines, the ability to communicate professionally in another language in addition to English would be a plus. We'll also expect you to be able to complete robust risk assessments, negotiate on behalf of the Commissioning Authority or service users with other agencies, and possess a good understanding of budgets and financial controls.

Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role.

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster.

Westminster City Council's strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city's future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit

As a forward thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application , we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.