Rapid Response Social Worker
It’s an exciting time to join the London Borough of Waltham Forest to play a key role in delivering Adults Social Care. We are transforming our services to provide high quality person-centred care and support that needs forward thinking staff, committed to delivering strength-based practice. We’ll look to you to help us deliver great outcomes for adult social care users, carers, families, and the wider community, through excellent social care practice. As a result, we now have a vacancy in the Rapid Response team for a Social Worker.
Rapid Response Social Worker - £40,614 - £ £43,815
Plus Retention
We are looking for exceptional and committed applicants. You will need to be a highly motivated, knowledgeable, and effective practitioner, and work in a strength based and person-centred way to promote the wellbeing and independence of the residents of Waltham Forest. You will need a good working knowledge of the Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Safeguarding Protocols, and the Hospital Discharge guidance issued by the Department for Health and Social Care.
Waltham Forest has an exciting opportunity for a Full Time Social Worker to join the Rapid Response Team. This is an integrated team of Community Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physio Therapists, and Social Workers who all work in the multi-disciplinary Rapid Response Service run by North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT).
The Rapid Response Team is a key part of the local system’s offer to residents to support them to stay out of hospital when they do not need acute medical care. It provides an Admission Avoidance pathway that also delivers Adult Social Care support to adults over 18 who have eligible needs under the Care Act. It is an urgent response service (with a 2hr response time) for residents who could be at imminent risk of admission to hospital due to a sudden deterioration in their health and wellbeing, and a key focus of activity in the team is to prevent avoidable hospital admissions through the delivery of timely and well-coordinated health and social care support to residents in their own homes.
There are two social work posts in the team’s structure (currently located in MASH), and both postholders work in an integrated way with Rapid Response Team clinical colleagues to achieve good outcomes for residents who would otherwise be at risk of being taken to hospital.
The responsibility for recruitment and for case direction when in post will fall under the Local Authority. The applicant will work between two offices, one in Willow House (Forest Road) and the other in an external building on the Whipps Cross Hospital grounds. There is remote working procedures in place, but this role will also require home visits so it is essential that the candidate is available to work from the office and visit residents.
The role is initially 9-5.15 (M-Th) and 9-5 on Friday, however, 7 day working may be implemented in the future as Adult Social Care input into the Rapid Response service expands.
It is an exciting opportunity for a candidate who prefers a rapid turn-around of duty cases, enjoys team building, and can establish good working relationships with external agencies. Working knowledge of legal frameworks is essential, including safeguarding, mental capacity, and the Care Act 2014. It is desirable if the candidate has experience in a duty setting or an initial assessment team with fast paced work.
You will have a passionate focus on high quality practice and performance, particularly in terms of Care Act Eligibility and Safeguarding Adults. You will receive regular supervision and have access to a broad range of training, support and development opportunities including mentorship and post graduate apprenticeship options.
If you are interested in these exciting opportunities, please contact us for an informal chat,
Luan Mills Luan.Mills@walthamforest.gov.uk & Michael Kite Michael.Kite@walthamforest.gov.uk