Senior Social Worker Specialist Community Disability Service (25+ Pod)

Job introduction

Do you have a talent for inspiring excellent social work practice?

Are you keen to join an exciting and passionate team working with adults with a learning disability?

Would you like to develop your skills in a specialist area? If so, then this may be the role for you.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for two permanent Senior Social Worker within the Specialist Community Disability Team’s 25+ Pod, working with adults with a learning disability and/or autism. 

For more details please contact Richard Stevenson (Pod Manager 25+), Telephone: 01273 295550, Email: richard.stevenson@brighton-hove.gov.uk

About the role

We are a team which provides an exciting range of social work services to adults with disabilities as part of the whole life pathway. This includes a Duty and Intake service, undertaking Care Act Assessments and Reviews of existing care arrangements within a multi-disciplinary context. We also support the arranging an implementation of Direct Payments and Personal Budgets.

You would need to have a broad understanding of these issues and support staff to implement proportionate and timely assessments to meet identified outcomes for adults with a learning disability.

Keeping people safe and preventing/ minimising the impact of abuse through Safeguarding Enquiries is our top priority. Supporting decision making is a vital part of the teams work and excellent practice of the Mental Capacity Act and Best Interest planning is widely supported. Applications to the Court of Protection for welfare decisions and Deprivation of Liberty Orders are also a key part of your team’s practice.

You will deliver supervision to both experienced social workers within the Pod and newer staff members developing their practice, whilst supporting interesting and complex case management issues.

Your skills will also be vital in contributing towards the Duty and Intake service on a rota basis alongside other Senior Social Workers within the team.

You will also:

• Be a qualified Social Worker
• Have the skills to work within an integrated multi-disciplinary setting
• Be able to support a service undergoing some exciting changes and development of specialist projects.
• Have experience of supporting and supervising other staff and demonstrate an ability and willingness to develop these skills
• Have good knowledge, skills and experience of statutory roles and responsibilities
• Support the Intake/ Duty Service to triage statutory demands and manage risk appropriately (including Section 42 work), as part of a rota
• Be responsible for managing your own small caseload autonomously with the support of your supervisor/manager
• Demonstrate a keen interest in developing your knowledge and skills in relation to disabilities and specialist areas of practice.
• Whilst prior experience of working with children, young people or adults with disabilities is not essential it would be an advantage

We are keen to ensure team members develop their individual practice and specialist interests that add value to the wider team’s knowledge and skills. Alongside paying for professional membership, a comprehensive training program is offered within the role and Group Supervision is a key part of developing the team’s knowledge. It is used as an opportunity for bespoke team training and guest speakers to enrich the team’s practice. We also support staff to gain qualifications to support their practice and engage in exciting project work, which is shaping the future of the service. This includes practice improvement in working with parents with a learning disability, inclusion and access to services and prevention work in respect of individuals who may be self-neglecting. You will be asked to contribute to the shaping and delivery of such training and workstreams based on your skills and experience.

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Shortlisting questions guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

Part office / part home – hybrid -  We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining.

*For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Company information

Please note that this post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, and is subject to a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) Check.

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).