Social Worker

**Role Purpose**
- To provide a professional social work service to adults their families and carers living in Surrey in line with the requirements of the Care Act.
- To engage with individuals, families, groups and communities to assess and intervene, and using professional judgement, employ a range of interventions promoting choice, control and independence.
- The role holder will assist individuals, carers and families to develop support plans to meet the outcomes identified, using an asset based approach and family, friends and community options where appropriate and eligible needs are identified.
- They will actively encourage involvement and ownership of the support plan but to take a leadership role where appropriate, and will give clear explanation of the use of Direct Payments so that informed decisions can be made.
- The role holder will actively promote wellbeing and independence, to enable individuals and carers to retain or regain their skills and confidence and prevent or delay deterioration.
- They will engage effectively with families to facilitate contingency planning to anticipate complexity and changing circumstances.
- They will ensure that as part of the assessment NHS Continuous Healthcare is considered for all individuals.
- They will also assist with the duty/intake function of the team as required, providing immediate professional guidance on urgent issues, arranging immediate support to manage risk in line with a personalised approach and escalating issues of concern tomore senior staff.

Social work staff working in Adult Social Care Services are based in either:

- A locality team linked to one of 11 district and boroughs, which provide community social work,
- occupational therapy services and social care support to the local community
- In one of 5 hospital teams providing 7 day 8.00am - 8.00pm social work and social care support
to individuals carers and families involved in discharge from hospital, or
- In specialist countywide teams e.g. Transition Team
- They will be required to work flexibly and will be supported to do this with mobile IT equipment and hot desk facilities.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle.
Reasonable adjustments will be made for social workers who have a disability to enable them to
fulfil the requirements of the job.
Professional supervision will be provided.

**Casework Management**:

- Take professional responsibility as directed for managing a caseload which will include
individuals, children, families and carers who require support and guidance. Enable them to identify
their needs and plan support to meet those needs using the full range of options, seeking advice
and support where appropriate.
- Demonstrate confident and effective judgement about risk and accountability in decision making.
Assessment and Review
- Use assessment procedures discerningly in response to the presenting needs and to ensure that
a proportionate assessment is completed in a way that enables maximum participation.
Advice and Guidance
- Provide information, advice and guidance in line with current national legislation and to recognise
the need for, and appropriately signpost to other agencies, services or providers.
Safeguarding
- Understand the forms of harm and their impact on people and be able to identify safeguarding
concerns.
- Where relevant and with support undertake assessment and planning for safeguarding.
Staff Development
- Share and present professional knowledge and expertise with colleagues within the team.
- When appropriate provide professional reflective supervision to staff who are not professionally
qualified.
Data Quality
- Take professional and personal responsibility for clear recording of analysis and judgements,
maintaining up to date case work records on the database as required by Surrey County Council.
- Take responsibility for working within the Directorate's data protection policies.

**Requirements**:

- Relevant professional qualification and Health and Care Professions Council registration where
required.
- Up to date working knowledge of relevant national and local policy and statutory guidance and
legislation in relation to the provision of social care services.
- Sound knowledge of social care processes and responsibilities in line with personalisation, self
directed support and person centred planning.
- An understanding of the principles of confidentiality and information governance and how these
- An understanding of diversity and how it affects practice.
- Ability to communicate appropriately and in a timely way with individuals, carers families, other
professionals and team members which is clear, fluent, concise and jargon free and in a courteous
calm and professional manner. This includes both verbal and written communication.
- Ability to routinely explain professional reasoning, judgements and decisions made and record
these in a clear concise way.
understood by anyone reading them.
- Ability to co-operate and work well with others, support colleagues both within and outside of the
team and contribute to the successful achievement of team goals, sharing information and learning
whilst supporting others.
- Competent in the use of basic IT skills.
- Competent in the use of basic numeracy skills with the ability to understand and explain basic
cost information.
- Ability and willingness to develop effective professional reflective supervision skills to support
less experienced qualified staff.