Triage Officer

**The Role**

We are looking for two triage officers to join our team as Social Work England; the specialist regulator for social work in England, focused on enabling positive change in social work. Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. We are taking a new approach to regulating social workers in their vital roles. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate - to protect the public, enable positive change and ultimately improve people’s lives.

You will assist with the effective and timely recording and progressing of concerns relating to social workers. By ensuring that fitness to practise concerns are appropriately identified and cases progressed in a timely manner, you will be contributing to our key duty of protecting the public. The triage officer role manages around 80 to 100 cases at any one time.

**What you will do**
- Analyse and assess information to ensure we adequately determine the appropriate level of risk associated with a case, ensuring that those identified as high risk are prioritised and identifying where an interim order may be necessary.
- Analyse and assess related documents, draft case summaries and make decisions and recommendations in accordance with guidance and in line with the statutory frameworks.
- Be the first point of contact for members of the public and organisations with fitness to practise related queries. Responding to those queries as to what is and isn’t a matter of concern; explaining what fitness to practise is to the contact and what is in our remit; signposting to organisations that may be able to assist with matters we can not; tailoring response, explaining next steps to the person who has made the contact. This may involve numerous people and points of contact.
- Identify, request and obtain information relevant to assessment of triage cases. This may include contacting health professionals, police, employers, and other regulators. Actively manage and follow-up requests in a respectful and sensitive manner. Tailoring each request to the specific situation.
- Ensure timely assessment of cases by prioritising work independently, managing your own workload and using initiative and problem-solving skills to manage competing demands.
- Develop and maintain effective collaborative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels by providing consistent and quality customer service, adapting and tailoring the approach, to take account of individual needs. For example members of the public, social workers, the police, employers.
- Manage large quantities of personal and sensitive information in accordance with data protection legislation and our data management policies and procedures. Ensuring you maintain accurate records and case information using the case management system. Create electronic bundles of documentation and evidence as necessary.
- Ensure timely progression of cases by prioritising work independently, managing your own workload and using initiative, analytic skills and problem-solving skills to identify and implement solutions to barriers to progression and manage competing demands.

**Your skills, knowledge and experience**
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to draft clear and comprehensive correspondence and to present information on complex issues clearly in telephone discussions or written correspondence.
- Strong personal resilience with the ability to work well in a team with a proactive, collaborative and reliable approach.
- Ability to work under pressure in a busy, demanding, environment using prioritisation and organisational skills when managing competing deadlines.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to manage difficult and challenging communication where people are potentially in need.
- Ability to work within a statutory framework, and familiar with social worker regulations.
- Experience of working in a customer/client-based environment, with the ability to communicate and seek out information effectively and confidently with a range of stakeholders. Tailoring response as necessary.
- Experience of managing a caseload, using a case management systems and maintain accurate records.
- Experience of managing sensitive and confidential information, with the ability to troubleshoot and resolve problems.
- Experience of working in a team and supporting others.
- Analytical and research skills with an attention to detail.
- Strong IT skills, including a good working knowledge of Microsoft office products.
- A demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

**Details**
- Job type: Permanent.
- Salary: £24,687 per year, rising to £25,775 per year after successful completion of a 6-month probationary period.
- Location: Sheffield/hybrid working
- Benefits: flexible working, contributory pension, life insurance and benefits portal
- Closing date: 27 A