Social Worker

Job responsibilities

Job Responsibilities

01) To be a champion of social care with a comprehensive understanding of legislation and statutory guidance.

02) To take a lead in the promotion of adult safeguarding practice and undertake safeguarding enquires and contribute to the provision of care plans that protect both adults and children from abuse.

03) To undertake comprehensive assessments and reviews, for people who may present with a high risk, or those with significant interpersonal, social, legal and/or environmental complexities, ensuring people are assessed appropriately against social care eligibility criteria as defined by The Care Act 2014.

04) To offer direct support to service users and their carers, and to colleagues, through information and advice, to ensure that those who do not meet social care eligibility are appropriately signposted and supported.

05) To ensure that appropriate health and social care services are commissioned with and on behalf of service users, including the duty to offer direct payments, and that processes are in place for service users to be charged by the local authority for the social care services they receive, if applicable.

06) To ensure that commissioned services allow choice to service users and carers and focus on people living in the community with appropriate support and access to universal services.

07) To undertake regular risk assessments and ensure that vulnerable people are kept safe.

08) To undertake carer assessments, including identifying contingency plans, and provision of support.

09) To be skilled in partnership working and identify, develop, and facilitate a wide range of recovery-focused community services, ensuring that colleagues within the locality are also aware of developments and best practice.

10) To ensure the involvement of service users and their carers to that the Trust can learn from their experiences to make improvements to service delivery.

11) To ensure accurate computer records of all work undertaken are kept up to date.

12) To undertake your own post qualifying and other appropriate training to ensure high standards of practice and continuation of your registration with Social Work England.

13) To provide both management and reflective supervision to newly qualified social workers and unregistered social care staff.

14) To support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), with opportunities to train as an ASYE assessor.

15) To undertake duties as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or be willing to undertake AMHP training

16) To participate in your own regular supervision and ensure regular reflection on your own practice as both a social worker and AMHP.

17) To undertake other tasks and duties which form part of the delegated social care responsibilities accepted by the Trust on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.

18) To adhere to Trust policies and procedures.

19) To undertake additional training as required.

20) To carry out any other duties as appropriately identified by your Line Manager.

Working Relationships

The postholder will be expected to work as part of the multi-disciplinary team. They will need to work in partnership with service users and carers and a wide range of stakeholders within and outside of the Trust. They will need to demonstrate principles of dignity and respect, focusing on personalisation, choice, and control. They will be a champion and expert in the field of social care and safeguarding and will be responsible for ensuring that colleagues within the service provide high quality social care services.

Communication Requirements

The postholder will receive and share highly complex, sensitive, and contentious information about service users and carers with other professionals and key stakeholders both within and outside of the Trust. Information will include assessment and details of risk and may be conveyed in a hostile or highly emotive atmosphere. Communication may focus on issues of a highly sensitive nature, e.g. child protection, adult safeguarding, Mental Health Act assessments. Social Workers are professionally accountable for information which may be shared formally, either verbally or in writing. Communication with some service users and carers may be controversial and received with hostility and/or rejection.

Clinical Responsibility

The postholder will demonstrate professional knowledge and competence gained through social work training, leading to registration with Social Work England. Expertise within their specialism must be underpinned by theory and post qualification training. The postholders work will be relatively autonomous, but a reasonable level of support and supervision is provided. Their work will focus on integrated assessment, care planning and care management directly with service users and carers who present with the most complex circumstances.

Leadership and Management Responsibility

The postholder will be professionally accountable for their own activities and for the advice and guidance they give to other qualified and unqualified staff within the locality. This will include providing clinical supervision to less experienced social workers and un-registered social care staff. The postholder will undertake appraisals of staff they supervise. They will supervise and mentor students.

Financial Responsibility

The postholder will be an authorised signatory for packages of care for service user and carers within a delegated scheme of responsibility. They will handle cash and valuables of service users as required. The post holder will act as an agent of appointeeship and handle service user resources in accordance with legislation. They will ensure that Local Authority charging policies are carried out in line with local and national guidance.

Service Development and Improvement

The postholder will implement policy and propose changes in relation to general social care and mental health practice and development which will ...