Senior Social Work Practitioner

**About Us**

Working for us at West Sussex County Council is all about making a positive difference to the people of West Sussex. This is a great opportunity for you to join us as a highly experienced social worker.

The Adult Community Teams work with people who have experienced cognitive and / or physical disabilities over the age of 25 and primarily with older people. The strengths-based approach is embedded within the service to work with individuals to explore theirnetworks of support in the local community and maximise independence.

The teams have excellent working relationships with health colleagues through the proactive care initiative, where social work representatives regularly factor into local GP surgery multi-disciplinary meetings. Social Workers have a varied workload whichincludes assessments, reviews, safeguarding enquiries and mental capacity act assessments.

Check out our adult campaign page for more information around Careers in adults' social work - West Sussex County Council.

**About The Job**

**Salary**: £41,591 - £44,624 (Plus Crawley weighting supplement of £561 pa)
**Working Pattern**: Full time
**Contract Length**: Permanent
**Location**: Crawley

You will manage, and support others to manage, a varied and complex caseload collaborating with people and family or friend carers. You will draw on a wide range of highly developed skills to make sophisticated professional judgements, and support othersto make judgements aimed at improving wellbeing and delivering outcomes, including utilising community assets, and ensuring that eligible needs are met.

You will have a role in improving the practice of unregistered and registered social care practitioners and developing, leading, and championing best practice and professional standards. You will advise others and facilitate access to and dissemination ofmore specialist advice where necessary to further develop capability and professional confidence. You will be supported with professional supervision and a workload that is appropriate to your level of professional development.

**Experience and Skills**

**Key Skills**:

- Ability to work proactively as a member of the team
- Demonstrable evidence of leadership skills
- Expertise of managing situations with complex and competing risks.
- Expertise in leading on safeguarding enquiries.
- Highly developed communication skills.
- Able to model and use social work skills in practice, supervision, mentoring and leadership.
- Able to employ a range of social work approaches and interventions.
- Working autonomously with a highly complex, varied caseload.
- Able to diagnose, research, analyse and interpret highly complex or technical information.
- Ability to be proactive in maintaining up-to-date knowledge and understanding of changes in legislation and effectively lead and supervise others to enhance and support legally compliant practice.

**Qualifications and/or experience**:

- A Degree in Social Work or a recognised equivalent Social Work qualification e.g., Diploma in Social Work.
- A recognised post qualifying award in Social Work (e.g., Practice Educator,
- Best Interest Assessor and/or Approved Mental Health Professional) or demonstrable evidence of continuous professional development at similar level.
- Registered with Social Work England.
- Experience of undertaking assessments in complex situations and social work intervention planning, implementation, and review by means of creative and pragmatic solutions.
- Extensive experience of working in partnership with those who access the service and maintaining a focus on the needs and strengths of the people, and the outcomes they want to achieve, whilst handling conflict and disagreement.
- Experience of managing risk within a risk enablement approach.
- Excellent, up-to-date working knowledge of relevant legislation e.g., Care Act
- (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005) etc.
- Requirement for BIA qualified practitioners to contribute to BIA service delivery, AMHP qualified practitioners to contribute to AMHP service delivery.
- Valid, full driving licence. **_Desirable_**

**Rewards and Benefits**

In addition to working within a great team and a competitive salary you will have access to:

- 26 days annual leave + bank holidays with the ability to buy additional leave annually.
- Access to a generous, defined benefit pension scheme.
- A range of flexible working options.

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our **Rewards and Benefits** page.

**Further Information**

The reference number for this role is **CAFHE03838**.