Job Context: Working in a local community social care team, the main focus of the role will be supporting the Team Manager with quality assurance, team performance, coordination of safeguarding, and complex casework. You will work as part of the team under the Service Manager in a specific locality or team. The focus of the Advanced Practitioner in the Service Manager locality is to implement the requirements of the Care Act with a focus on quality, performance, practice, and outcomes for people. In a local team, this extends to include complex casework and supporting Team Managers with safeguarding coordination.
Job Purpose: To build upon the successful implementation of personalisation and self-directed support in Adult Social Care and support locality teams in improving their performance and outcomes for people. The role is integral to improving and monitoring the quality of social care/social work practice and the implementation of strength-based approaches to assessment, review, and support planning, ensuring the adults with care and support needs and carers outcomes are achieved. The postholder will have specific practice knowledge or expertise and will have responsibility in conjunction with managers for ensuring consistent practice, performance, and quality across specific service areas.
Operational Management: Work with specific teams within the scope of the Service Manager in ensuring that practice is compliant with relevant legislation, is safe, and of good quality. Develop staff awareness and practice in respect of performance and quality. Ensure the compliance of designated operational teams with various performance requirements. In conjunction with team managers within the scope of the Service Manager, undertake quality monitoring of adult social care/social work practice through the review of assessment and support planning in accordance with timescales and other quality standards agreed in local procedures alongside other procedures.
Ensure that support planning reflects the personal, familial, and community assets or strengths of the adult with care and support needs or carer and that the principles of best value are consistently applied. Ensure that practice and support planning meet the desired outcomes for people and that their views and opinions are reflected in social work practice and recording. Ensure that the national eligibility criteria is consistently applied, with a clear rationale for the decision being made and that due consideration is given to the wellbeing principle. Report to the Team Manager and Service Manager any areas of concern around practice, performance, or concordance with legislative requirements. Ensure the Practice Team are aware of any issues and assist in developing, implementing, and managing improvements in practice within Adult Social Care Community teams and their interfaces with other professionals in relevant agencies.
Ensure locality and performance teams have processes in place to support the Performance framework and highlight interventions and trends in social care/social work practice within their specific locality. Lead on a program of audit and review of activities across the Directorate which identify improvements in performance and lead to better service standards. Report to the Team Manager and/or Service Manager any issues of particular risk to adults with care and support needs or care or services which might attract attention from Members or the media. To work towards the highest possible levels of data quality. To ensure a consistency of approach and outcomes. Deputise for Team Managers as required.
Resource Management: Identify and report any areas of concern to the Team Manager and/or Service Manager in relation to practice, ASYE arrangements, or performance. Provide day-to-day information, advice, and guidance to staff within a specific locality. Support the Practice Team in ensuring that training delivered meets required standards and reflects current best practice. Ensure local managers and staff use initiative in the identification of key issues in relation to improving performance/existing systems and activity and produce proposals to address these.
To ensure that all staff and managers have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, with regard to the performance and quality agenda and to develop appropriate skills to deliver the performance agenda. Be a Practice Educator for students who are placed in or visiting the team as agreed with the line Manager.
Partnerships: Establish and develop positive and supportive relationships with relevant staff at all levels within the council, health service, higher education institutions, and other partners to promote effective joint working arrangements. Assist Team Managers and/or Service Manager in developing proactive partnership working, acknowledging that some interactions will be of a highly sensitive and contentious nature. Deputise for Team Managers, as required, in representing the Directorate on national and regional groups for practice and personalisation as agreed by the Service Manager.
Promote social care/social work values, principles, and best practices amongst adults with care and support needs, carers, and the wider public and work with the Information office and other relevant groups and boards to ensure that information, advice, and guidance about Adult Social Care, advocacy, and the prevention services on offer is widely available and that Accessible Information standards are in place. Where resource allows, act as a supervisor to Social Work students on placement, including support, guidance, challenge, and assessment.
Communications: Communicate effectively with other practitioners and professionals to ensure required outcomes are achieved. To ensure regular communication of performance issues to all staff in ways that are easily understandable. Provide professional information, advice, and guidance as required. Represent North Yorkshire County Council as required with internal and external customers. Develop expertise in coaching and mentoring staff who are less experienced. In conjunction with the Practice Team, deliver workshops and/or learning events to support the ongoing development of social work practice in specific teams, locality, or across the county as required.
Systems and Information: Ensure that practitioners utilise the current business processes to support the Adult Social Care in relation to case recording, quality, performance, and financial monitoring and outcomes for people. Based on the analysis of the data collection, contribute to the development and monitoring of improvement plans within a specific locality. Assist in the collection of performance and outcome data and make appropriate use of IT systems. Contribute to the ongoing improvement and development of Adult Social Care processes and systems in conjunction with the strategic objectives of the Directorate.
To work with Service Manager and Team managers in developing team/service targets for performance gains on a monthly basis in line with national and Directorate expectations. To ensure early identification of variations in performance and quality using diagnostic tools. To work with Service Manager and Team managers to develop solutions and implement action plans locally and ensure that best practices are shared across the County. To analyse and interpret data in order to identify the most effective courses of action.
Safeguarding: Be committed to safeguarding and promote the welfare of children, young people, and adults, raising concerns as appropriate. Undertake Safeguarding Adults Coordination and/or Investigations, as delegated by managers in line with procedures.
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