Social Worker/Senior Social Worker - Lifelong Services

About Us

West Sussex County Council is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents. Employees are genuinely valued, respected and there is an emphasis on work life balance. We are committed to fostering personal growth, with ongoing professional development and continuous learning at the heart of our culture.

Working in the Transition Teams is all about making a positive difference for young people on their journey to adulthood. We recruit colleagues who share our passion for supporting young people to be ambitious and develop lives of their own. If you join us, you will be welcomed into supportive teams who will encourage you to be the best colleague that you can be. The structure of Transitions services is under review and may be subject to change and so we would welcome applications from candidates that have Learning Disability and/or Mental Health experience.

Transition is a busy and exciting time for workers and young people. You will be expected to work within organisational, policy and legislative frameworks as you support young people to increase their independence and plan for the future.

We aim to:

- Offer early intervention

- Build on an individual’s strengths to develop skills and independence

- Build and promote links with the individual’s community

- Promote and maintain safety and good health, and

- Promote employment and meaningful daily occupation.

Our Lifelong Services Teams have a unique focus, and our Social Workers and Assistant Care Managers are exceptional at supporting the teams to deliver legislatively compliant services. We offer a dedicated, strengths-based approach to disability that we know makes a positive difference. Whether we are engaging with people seeking advice, providing equipment or skills training, or starting a journey with people that may lead to a personal budget to meet complex needs, we are always looking to deliver the best outcomes.

About The Job

Salary: £41,177 to £44,253 per annum (grade 10) to £45,529 to £48,738 per annum (grade 11)
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Horsham office base (alternate office base is Littlehampton), countywide travel required

Transition is a busy and exciting time for workers and young people. You will be expected to work within organisational, policy and legislative frameworks as you support young people to increase their independence and plan for the future.

As a Social Worker within a busy community team, you will be responsible for achieving positive change and improved outcomes for young people. You will have a varied, complex caseload, and provide an accountable social care service to those people who access or need the service. You will be undertaking high quality assessments and reviews including mental capacity act assessments, responding to safeguarding enquiries, and working as part of a team. You will be expected to work within organisational, policy and legislative requirements.

You will have the opportunity to apply your social work skills, experience and values to the work that you do in supporting young people, their support networks and your team.

If you are a grade 10 social worker applying for a grade 11 senior social worker post to progress and you are an internal applicant please follow the internal progression process.

Experience and Skills

Required experience and skills These will be used as the shortlisting criteria)

Key Skills:
1. Good assessment skills, including the ability to ensure regular reviews and risk management with a variety of individuals, carers or families.
2. Able to effectively prioritise work and meet deadlines.
3. Able to analyse and interpret complex situations and people-related information, prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision.
4. Able to work in partnership with carers, colleagues and external agencies to deliver an effective service.
5. Highly developed communication skills with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in both written and verbal format, to explain complicated information to others and to use negotiation and persuasion skills to encourage others to adopt a course of action they might otherwise not wish to take.
6. Able to recognise limits of own accountability and responsibility and seek appropriate support, advice and supervision.

Qualifications and/or experience:
• Degree in relevant professional or equivalent qualification e.g. Certificate of Qualification in Social Work or Diploma in Social Work.
• Completion of relevant post-qualifying training.
• Registration with the relevant professional registration body and responsibility for maintaining registration with that body.
• Advanced theoretical, practical and procedural knowledge of social work. Good, up-to-date working knowledge of legislation relevant to the specialist area of the post e.g. The Care Act and the Mental Capacity Act.
• Good understanding of the necessity of working with partnership agencies including health, housing, learning, statutory, voluntary and independent sector.
• Experience of forming effective working relationships within a multi-agency/multidisciplinary setting.
• Valid, full driving licence.
• Experience of working in partnership with those who access or need the service and maintaining a focus on the needs of the individual whilst handling conflict and disagreement.
• Experience of effectively coaching and supervising others, acting as practice role model and promoting exemplary practice.
• Experience of managing levels of risk within a complex caseload.

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 CAFHE06563.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Anna Szkurlat (Team Manager) at anna.szkurlat@westsussex.gov.uk. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk.

To apply, upload your CV and complete the application 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.

Equity, inclusion, accessibility and diversity is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all cultures, ethnicities, identities, backgrounds and lived experiences, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme (if you meet the essential criteria), 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!