Social Worker (Older People and Physical Disabilities)
The Role
The Older People and Physical Disabilities Service supports older adults and adults with a physical disability. We are a multi-professional service comprising of Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, and Assistant Practitioners. There are available roles in both the Assessment and Intake and Community Review Team.
The Assessment and Intake Team provide short-term interventions within a 6-week timeframe and the Community Review Team undertake scheduled review of existing care and support.
Within these roles, you will work with persons with care and support needs and other professionals as necessary in order to meet the needs of the Service. This includes the undertaking of assessments, providing ongoing support and proactively working with complex issues, family dynamics, legal issues, crisis, providing information and advice, transferring to another team as required.
The main duties of the role include completing Care Act assessments and devising care and support plans (A&I only), completing reviews, completing Mental Capacity Assessments, chairing Best Interests meetings, working with people with complex social needs and making sure that the people of Southwark are receiving the support that meets their needs.
There is also a Safeguarding function within the service, which includes assessing and investigating risk and undertaking Safeguarding Adult Enquiries as required.
We utilise all appropriate resources from Social Care, Health and other voluntary and statutory agencies and offer the provision of a short-term intensive assessment period, assessing the person’s ability to maximise their independence and to provide a robust assessment that measures the amount of ongoing support that is needed.
The role requires the completion of all related administrative functions and to attend case conferences, reviews and represent the Council at Court when this is determined as appropriate.
About Us
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.
About You
The Social Worker role is key in ensuring the welfare and assessed needs of those whom we support are managed in a safe and inclusive way.
We adopt a Strength-based approach to our practice and seek to provide a person centred service. We are looking for resilient practitioners who can manage competing demands and prioritise work effectively. The role requires applicants who are confident decision makers and who can stay calm under pressure.
While in this role you will need to demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm to working closely with those with care and support needs, their families and carers, other professionals and your managers and peers. You should hold a degree in social work, be registered with Social Work England, with evidence of continuing professional development and a strong understanding of the application of Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and Adults Safeguarding.
Additional Information:
- This is a x4 Permanent position.
- Standard 36 hours, Monday to Friday.
- An enhanced level DBS check is required.
Essential requirements for the role. Any applicants without these will not be shortlisted:
- A recognised Social Work qualification at degree level.
- Active Social Work England Registration.
- Completion of ASYE Programme (or at least 4 years post qualified experience).
Benefits and more information:
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
Recruitment Timetable
Interview dates: 4 October 2023.
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
- Members of the Armed Forces and veterans.
- Are currently in care, or have previously been in care.
- If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.
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