About Us
Working for us at West Sussex County Council is all about making a positive difference to the people of West Sussex. The OPMH team has a vacancy for a full time qualified Social Worker. This is an exciting and unique opportunity to work with the OPMH team, coordinating all aspects of Health and Social Care needs for users with severe and enduring mental health challenges.
We’re embracing a strengths-based approach, and working within a community-led support model that builds on the assets and strengths of both people and their local communities. Together, we’ll focus on prevention, enablement, reablement and safety, to promote wellbeing and independence. We’ll ensure that residents, families, and communities have the right support in place, and at the right time.
We provide a working environment that values professional supervision and offers the right balance between challenge and support. This provides our workforce with what they need to deliver the best possible outcomes for our residents. We work to ensure that innovation and evidence-based practice underpins what we do, and that we maintain an environment within which our social workers can develop and progress in their careers. If you have the talent and ambition to achieve the best for the people we serve, then we will support you to progress and develop throughout your social work career.
If this sounds like an interesting opportunity for you, why not join us and let’s make a difference to our communities together!
About The Job
Salary: £37,336 to £44,428 depending on experience
Working Pattern: Full time
Contract Length: Permanent
Location: Bognor Regis
In this challenging, but rewarding role, you will be required to act as allocated social worker responsible for delivering a statutory social work service to those people who access or need specialist mental health services, to include assessment, planning, implementing and review. This includes being responsible for leading on specialist areas of service delivery, ensuring that key developments are communicated to colleagues and that business change is successfully implemented.
You will work as part of a geographically based specialist mental health social work team, providing a service to people who are aged 65 years and over, with occasional contact with people under the age of 65 years where they have a diagnosis of dementia.
You will manage a caseload, collaborating with people and family or friend carers, undertake strengths-based assessments and reviews, identifying eligible needs and personalised outcomes. You will be working within a supportive environment to apply your social work skills to develop and implement support plans aimed at improving wellbeing and delivering outcomes, including utilising community assets, and ensuring that eligible needs are met.
There will be some requirement for you to work flexibly in order to support customers, carers and families, sometimes out of normal working hours. You will also need to be able to travel independently throughout the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.
Experience and Skills
Please refer to the attached job description for Key Skill information and requirements for this role.
Qualifications and/or experience:
* Degree in relevant professional or equivalent qualification e.g. Certificate of Qualification in Social Work or Diploma in Social Work.
* Registration with the relevant professional registration body and responsibility for maintaining registration with that body.
* Approved Mental Health Professional (it is a requirement to have AMHP qualification or to be working towards the qualification to be complete within 2 years of appointment and to maintain level of knowledge).
* Knowledge of theoretical social work concepts and practices, with demonstrable examples of dealing with a breadth of complex issues and situations as well as theoretical, practical and procedural knowledge of social work and working knowledge of legislation relevant to the specialist area of the post e.g. Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act.
* Experience of effective partnership working and forming effective working relationships with individuals and colleagues, identifying issues, focusing on needs and handling conflict and disagreement. Good understanding of the necessity of working with partnership agencies including health, housing, learning, statutory, voluntary and independent sector.
* Demonstrable assessment skills, including the ability to ensure regular reviews and risk management with a variety of individuals, carers or families. Evidence of effectively prioritising work and meeting deadlines.
* Experience of managing levels of risk within a caseload of complex cases.
* Experience of effectively coaching and supervising others, acting as a practice role model and promoting exemplary practice.
* Valid, full driving licence - Desirable
Rewards and Benefits
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 CAFHE05435.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Hiring Manager (Team Manager) at Laurie.Thompson@westsussex.gov.uk
For issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk.
To apply, upload your CV and cover letter explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.
For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.
Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!
Job Reference: CAFHE05435
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