Qualified Social Worker - Adults (FTC 6 months)

Job introduction

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About the role

West Northamptonshire Council’s Adult Social Care service has been on a significant transformation journey since becoming a unitary authority in April 2021. This has enabled us to deliver services in a more local, strengths based way, placing people and communities at the heart of everything we do.

As a Social Worker, you will join a supportive and forward thinking service where your work has a real impact. You will work with adults with a wide range of needs, helping them to maintain independence, improve wellbeing, and achieve outcomes that matter to them. You will be part of a culture that values collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement.

Our teams include:

Community Hub teams
Supporting adults aged 18 plus across Northamptonshire, including rural areas such as Daventry, Towcester and Brackley.

Learning Disability team
Supporting adults with learning disabilities to promote independence and inclusion.

Flow and Capacity Team (FACT)
Supporting hospital discharge and transitions into community settings.

Assurance and Safeguarding team
Leading safeguarding enquiries and supporting adults at risk.

Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards team
Undertaking statutory Mental Capacity and Best Interests assessments.

Discharge and Review Team (DART)
Supporting CHC, reviews, and discharge pathways into residential and specialist settings.

Working pattern
9am to 5pm with flexible and part time options available.

Please note - A driving licence and access to your own transport is required.

If you would like an informal and confidential conversation before applying, please email jade.welch@westnorthants.gov.uk or call 07785102075 to arrange a discussion.

Additional information

You’ll be a qualified and experienced Social Worker, registered with Social Work England, with a strong commitment to delivering high quality adult social care. You’ll bring confidence in managing a varied and complex caseload, using your professional judgement to undertake timely assessments, develop effective support plans, and apply legislation such as the Care Act 2014 in your day to day practice. You’ll be comfortable working both independently and collaboratively, and motivated by achieving positive, person centred outcomes for the people you support.

We’re looking for individuals who:

• Have experience working within adult social care, managing complex and varied caseloads
• Take a proactive, creative, and solution focused approach to their work
• Are confident in applying strengths based practice to promote independence and wellbeing
• Thrive in a fast paced environment and can adapt to changing demands
• Build strong, effective relationships with partners across health, housing, community groups, and the voluntary sector
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills and professional curiosity

It would be great (but not essential) if you also have, or are working towards, additional qualifications or areas of expertise such as:

• Best Interests Assessor (BIA)
• Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
• Practice Educator

Above all, you’ll bring enthusiasm, resilience and a genuine passion for making a difference.

Company information

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email jade.welch@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.