Social Worker – Response Team

Job Category: Qualified Social and Health Professionals, Adult Social Care
Location: Luton, Bedfordshire
Start Date: Immediate Start
Salary: £28.00 per hour

PURPOSE OF POST:
You will be expected to: 1) receive and co-ordinate complex referrals, undertake the resulting assessments including where appropriate Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP) and
Best Interest Assessor (BIA) and carers assessments; 2) coach and mentor Social Care
Assessors who are undertaking assessments, support planning and review tasks; 3) influence
the direction of future services.
You will be expected to provide leadership on risk and safeguarding matters and to promote
personalised care pathways ensuring choice and control for all eligible individuals. You will be expected to work with others to influence and shape the local environment, to promote social inclusion and accessibility and ensure that identified needs are understood individually, by locality and fed into strategic commissioning.
You will be expected to be able to cover for your line manager on occasion and to also to cover for social workers from other teams if required to do so for a temporary period.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Complete professional assessments of need and risk for highly complex and challenging cases in respect of service users and carers using Luton Borough Council eligibility criteria. This is likely to include safeguarding cases and may include undertaking AMHP and BIA assessments (if you have undertaken the appropriate training). This involves: Care
   • Undertaking statutory duties under the Care Act 2014, Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act other legislation and guidance relating to service users and carers. Including undertaking training to be an Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP) and or Best Interest Assessor (BIA) and maintaining professional registration
   • Overseeing a duty role as necessary and prioritising level of intervention (including allocating initial assessments to social care staff)
   • Keeping appropriate case records, statistics and information utilising Council
   computer case recording systems, and other IT systems where required.
   • Providing reports for Court and other purposes, meeting the needs of
   internal/external agencies and complying with Luton Borough Council Policies and Procedures
   • Working with other professionals and partners to achieve effective joint working
   through initiatives that require a multi-agency approach, participating in and
   organising and chairing multi agency meetings
   • Undertaking training and keeping up to date to with legislative changes and best practice
2. Coach and mentor and provide support on case work issues to a group of up to 4
   unqualified staff / Social Care Assessors. Providing leadership, support and challenge
   to enable them to undertake assessments, including risk assessments, complete RAS
   paperwork and support service users and carers with support planning and review
   tasks. This involves:
   • Ensuring that service users and carers are involved in timely assessment and support planning and review processes
   • Ensuring needs are met through negotiation with service users and their carers
   and consultation with professional colleagues, and that Support Plans are
   person centred and focused on individual outcomes, meet assessed needs,
   address risks, promote independence and choice, respect service users dignity and rights and meet their cultural needs
   • Checking that support plans (or care packages) provide value for money and
   meet assessed needs and outcomes identified by the user and take account of
   any changing needs at review.
   • Ensuring there is engagement with other professionals and partners to achieve
   effective joint working through initiatives that require a multi-agency approach
   • Ensuring the provision of an effective service to local people by maintaining
   high standards of professional practice and implementing quality assurance systems
   • When necessary and subject to accreditation, carry out, if required the role of practice teacher for students on professional qualifying courses
3. Undertake research (including benchmarking) or development work on specific issues or problems as required by your manager and inform colleagues of the likely benefit
   and cost of different options. (This overlaps with tasks identified under 1 and 2 above
   and is intended to reflect the additional time this may require)
4. Contribute to the development of Directorate projects or strategic plans and or borough wide and neighbourhood projects as required

Experience:
Substantial post qualifying experience in social/health care field. This should and include:
• Experience of the customer interface environment and demonstrable commitment to customer satisfaction including knowledge of the different adult client groups.
• Experience of advocacy and user involvement issues including promoting the involvement of people
in developing their own care/support plans
• Significant experience of collaborative, partnership and interagency working.
• Experience of coaching/ mentoring.

Education and Training:
Dip SW or CQSW, (or Foreign qualification where certified by General Social Care Council) + at least PQ in one relevant module/area and hold GSCC /HPC or equivalent registration, with a demonstrable commitment to undertake further professional development
ASW/AMHP, BIA or Practice Teaching award
Relevant Degree in related area, or management qualification