Social Worker LBS-010

Job Category : Social & Health Care Qualified
Location : Queens Road 1, Southwark Council
Hours Per Week : 36.00
Start Date : Immediate start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:00
Salary: £21.64

Children and adult 0 to 25 service. Experience in Child Protection and or assessments required. Strong focus on performance. Will provide training for the right candidate with regards to the Care Act and adult legislation.
PURPOSE OF THE JOB
Responsibilities

1. Provide focused and purposeful social work interventions, including dealing with a wide range of problems presented by children and young people facing crisis.
2. To take responsive action in accordance with the statutory provision and departmental policy/practice to ensure that individual needs are met.
3. To work within a systemic framework to provide a comprehensive and effective integrated social work service to respond to the needs of children and their families in a timely manner.
4. To be responsible for decisions on the assessment of individual needs and the provision of services at individual customer level. Decisions may have implications on the short and long term future of customers.
5. To ensure the co-ordination and completion of a strength based approach to assessment, the completion of outcome focussed support plans, to support individuals to be active and engaged within their local community and maximise their independence.
6. Work directly with service users and their families and/or carers undertaking clear and accurate strength based assessments, undertake interviews and observations and gather information to capture their voice and that of their family and/or carer.
7. Use a variety of professional skills, including consultation (i.e. pre-referral work), identification, assessment, intervention planning / delivery, review, etc. to (a) promote effective partnerships between service users, their parents and practitioners who work with them and (b) achieve positive outcomes for vulnerable children, young people, adults and families/carers.
8. On the basis of assessed needs and risks, devise, implement and review outcome focussed care plans, including the development and management of protection plans within a child protection framework.
9. Manage a caseload of children and adults (0-25) as directed and organise and plan work activities prioritising tasks and responsibilities within appropriate statutory timeframes.
10. Ensure that statutory responsibilities are undertaken; including visiting, arranging reviews, reporting to the court. Delivering within timescales and meeting any other departmental or national performance targets.
11. Use Social Work expertise to provide reflective case discussion with practitioners and, if appropriate group work or other Social Work services, to individuals, families and other groups.
12. To work closely with other Departments, statutory and independent agencies to meet the complex needs of service users and families/carers within the community.
13. To establish, build links and support local groups, customer representatives, and other local resources which provide informal networks of care.
14. Provide written and verbal reports, that are concise, informative, based on analysis of complex evidence and which make cogent arguments based on evidence.
15. Establish a rapport and build and maintain a professional, respectful and honest relationship with the service user and their family/carer to develop trust and assist in safeguarding and promoting positive and timely outcomes.
16. Maintain case records and management information on appropriate systems, ensuring that case files and all administrative related to the social work function are organised and up to date.
17. Apply research knowledge of social work interventions and statutory guidance to inform social work practice and keep up to date with changes in legislation and developments within social work; to assess the implications of change on children and adults and advise team colleagues accordingly.
18. To actively recognise, uphold and promote the Council’s Equal Opportunity and Diversity agenda.
19. Deliver services flexibly across different parts of the service (as dictated by service need) and within homes, schools or community settings as required.
20. Undertake other duties appropriate to the post and grade that may reasonably be required from time to time.

Knowledge, including educational qualifications:
Qualified Social Worker with HCPC registration and evidence of continued professional development
Knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance and the social work and care management practice, particularly relating to safeguarding practice.
Knowledge of and an understanding and commitment to “social work matters” and its key principles of openness, transparency, accountability, and leadership and to the principles in Southwark’s practice framework (child centred, relationship based, outcome focused, family minded, strengths based, evidence informed, fairness).
Knowledge and understanding of child development, parenting capacity, environmental factors and risk and protective factors.
Knowledge of roles and responsibilities of key children’s and adult’s agencies.
Knowledge and awareness of issues relating to communities from diverse backgrounds and being familiar with the problems of patterns of deprivation

Experience:
Experience of direct social work with children and their families, as well as adults which includes assessing the needs of the individual, their families and/or carers.
Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary service with a range of professionals and of undertaking multi-disciplinary assessments
Ability to demonstrate social work competence within a Learning Disability environment and experience of working with vulnerable children, young people and carers to assess their needs and implement care plans.
Experience of successful working in an integrated manner, including team working and partnership to achieve positive outcomes for children, young people and adults.
Experience of assessment and childcare planning for children in need.
Experience of child protection.