MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB
The main purpose of this job is to work as a senior case management social worker with a caseload and supervisory responsibility for a group of staff within a large team managed by the operational manager. Risk management and safeguarding will be key parts of the role (including children’s safeguarding where relevant); post holders will be expected to develop expertise in this area and offer advice to others. Post holders will also be expected to promote prevention and personalisation, and adopt a strength based approach in the management of all case work.
SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITY AND PERSONAL DUTIES:
Main activity
1. To work as part of a multi agency team, ensuring integration and seamless delivery of services to service users and their carers.
2. Ensure risk management and adult safeguarding is effectively embedded within practice and responded to appropriately. Be aware of any potential children’s safeguarding concerns and liaise as appropriate with Children’s Social Care Services taking into account children’s safeguarding procedure.
3. In personal professional practice (and that of supervised staff) promote an ethos of helping people help themselves or one another through initiatives to facilitate and support increased individual and community capacity. This includes utilising own resources, promoting social inclusion and community networks, reciprocal support and sustainable caring roles, through taking a strength based approach to assessment.
4. Maintain a strong focus on improved outcomes around independence and personalisation, including the promotion of enablement and linking the service user to community based support services that enhance personal wellbeing.
5. Promote the principles of self directed support and outcome based support planning, enabling service users and their carers to make choices about how their Personal Budget is managed and the services purchased to meet agreed outcomes. Manage own work and the work of others as delegated by the operational manager
6. Act as “Safeguarding Adults Manager” in designated cases; ensuring that all aspects of the safeguarding process has been carried out and has been appropriately concluded.
7. Carry out any assessments and service user reviews to a high standard and in a timely manner in accordance with procedures reflecting the needs and outcomes of the service user and carer.
8. Ensuring personalisation and choice and control is embedded in practice
9. Present cases to Vulnerable Adults panel for funding.
10. Chair complex case reviews and safeguarding adults case conferences.
Supervision of staff
11. To work within a performance management framework, using performance management information to improve service delivery.
12. Offer professional supervision to social work staff on a regular basis, to be recorded and in line with the departments supervision policy
13. Ensure that supervised staff are offered personal appraisals in line with Council Policy and are appropriately directed to training and CPD opportunities.
14. Ensure that supervised staff are monitored in terms of their performance and conduct with any concerns being reported to the operational manager for advice on how to proceed.
15. Working as directed by the operational manager, audit and review electronic case records on a regular basis to ensure practice standards are met/exceeded. Take remedial action as necessary.
16. Working as directed by the operational manager respond as required to complaints regarding the service.
Partnership Working/ Team Work
17. Promote joint working at a frontline level, working in a multi-disciplinary way with colleagues in other departments of the Council and in Health.
18. Attend team meetings and foster a positive team working .
General Duties
19. Ensure adherence to legislation, guidance, procedure and policy – both in relation to safeguarding vulnerable adults (and children where relevant) and as an employee of the council. Ensure services are delivered in accordance with the Council’s Equal Opportunities and Environmental Policies.
20. Undertake any other duties commensurate with the level of the post. Maintain and update own technical knowledge and continuous professional development e.g. take a lead for specific area of practice across services.
21. To deputise for the operational manager as required
22. Maintain registration with the HCPC
23. Adhere to both the Council’s Code of Conduct and the HCPC Code of Practice at all times.
Equal Opportunities
Commitment to implement the Council’s Equal Opportunities policies.
Awareness of Equal Opportunities issues in an adult social care context.
Knowledge
Of the underpinning legislation for the provision of adult social care services to Vulnerable Adults / Younger Adults / People with Learning Disabilties
Of personalisation in Adult Social Care and central government guidance for self directed support for disabled and older people
Knowledge of preventative and enablement approaches that improve independence
Knowledge of legislation relating to the social care needs and rights of people with no recourse to public funding
Knowledge of equality issues effecting the provision of adult services.
A good knowledge of adult safeguarding policy and procedure.
A good understanding of evidence based social work practice and its application with adult social care services.
A knowledge of approaches to risk management in social work and social care
An awareness of funding systems and eligibility criteria how they are applied
Aptitude
Able to work effectively on complex casework, securing positive outcomes for service users
Able to supervise social workers, unqualified staff and students.
Able to offer professional social work opinion based on an evidence based rationale .
Able to identify risk within individual cases, or that affect a number of service users and apply robust risk management strategies in accordance with local procedures.
Able to hold casework responsibility own cases and safeguarding adults manager lead in supervised casework.
Able to give advice to supervised staff and non specialist staff about adult safeguarding casework.
Able in all matters financial in relation to service users and council budgets to follow local council procedures and any statutory requirements.
Skills
Able to supervise the professional casework of a number of staff , to record supervision, management overview and offer feedback and advice.
Able to chair meetings and case conferences.
IT skills across a range of systems and tools e.g. social care client database, e-mail, internet based programmes, word processing, financial database.
Excellent writing skills in order to record casework and prepare complex reports.
Has good communication skills and is able to relate well to service users, families and other professionals.
Experience
Previous post qualification experience of working as a social worker, in particular work with adult service users.
Experience of working with service users who have complex needs that require frequent interventions to support their changing needs.
Significant experience working in the area of adult safeguarding and managing significant risk.
Experience working with service users who are “difficult to reach” who have been socially excluded.
Experience working with service users and their families where there is an extensive breadth/depth of need and economic deprivation.
Experience of chairing meetings and handling interpersonal conflict.
Experience of working with service user and advocates where the service user does not have mental capacity.
General Education
PLEASE NOTE THAT IF QUALIFICATIONS ARE AN ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENT ORIGINAL CERTIFICATES ONLY WILL BE ACCEPTED, THESE WILL BE VERIFIED AT START OF APPOINTMENT.
Qualified and Registered Social Worker
Personal Qualities
Able to think and act clearly when working under considerable pressure.
Commitment to underpinning ethical values of service delivery to vulnerable adults, and the principles of personalised social care provision.
Circumstances
Able to attend occasional evening/ weekend meetings or appointments if required, and with reasonable notice. Postholder may be required to work public holidays and/or weekends.
Physical
Generally candidates must meet standard Lewisham requirements for the post.
Welcome to Lewisham – a vibrant and culturally diverse borough that is bursting with fantastic things to see and do. As a truly international borough with over 170 languages spoken in our homes and businesses, a thriving cultural scene, and a treasure trove of indie shops, bustling markets and more, it’s a great place to start and build a career.
Social work in Lewisham is changing and we have set out our vision and values for how we practice. In Lewisham Children’s Social Care (CSC), we know what good social work looks like and we are passionate about creating the right conditions and culture for good practice to thrive.
Our social workers benefit from working in small, supportive teams with caseloads on average between 15-20 children. Our ‘Signs of Safety’ practice framework means we are committed to working in a relationship-based way with children and families, focussing on strengths in the family network to effect change. A positive learning culture which promotes opportunities for reflection and relationship-based practice is important to us. We are committed to developing our practice using reflective practice spaces such as case mapping, thinking spaces and group supervision.
Our permanent and stable senior management team are visible and approachable. Our dedicated PSW and workforce team supports professional development across the service so that you will;
be supported through our comprehensive learning and development offer, which includes subscriptions to ‘Research in Practice’ and ‘Making Research Count’.
receive regular supervision and appraisal.
have 1-1 practice development coaching as a case holding practitioner, and professional development coaching as a manager.
have access to regular ‘Signs of Safety’ training and the opportunity to become a practice leader through attending our bespoke practice leader course.
have access to external leadership development opportunities such as Pathways and the Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI).
have a clearly defined career progression pathway with opportunities for professional development at all levels.
We have a strong working relationship with Goldsmiths, University of London as part of the South East London Teaching Partnership so our practitioners have the opportunity to teach on social work courses as teaching consultants. We host ‘Step Up’, ‘Frontline’ and traditional route students and social workers have the opportunity to become practice educators.
Core CSC Staff Benefits include:
We have been awarded the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard – a benchmark for high employment standards. We are also one of the first London Councils to be accredited a London Living Wage employer and are a Disability Confident employer as well as a Timewise accredited Flex positive employer. We offer a 35-hour working week, and:
The opportunity to work in a thriving, diverse and developing inner London borough with a stable management team, manageable caseloads and a workforce group committed to promoting your development and emotional wellbeing
Generous salary for social workers at all levels
Generous holiday entitlement - starting at 27 days a year (plus public holidays) rising to 32 and 35 days after 5- and 10-years’ continued service.
Oyster card access for travelling in and around London for work and we are exploring initiatives, including Zip cars
Flexible working policies and a variety of hybrid, and flexible working options – we know how important this is to you
Smarter Working with new modern technology and training to support this
Career average pension scheme
Family friendly policies including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental, and special leave for emergencies.
Variety of support schemes including key worker housing, tax-free childcare scheme, access to Civil Service Sports Club which offers financial discounts and savings on days out and entertainment. KAARP activities and entertainment discounts. We offer a shop local discount scheme, volunteering leave, long service awards, membership of the Crownsavers Credit Union and access to Payroll Giving.
Health and Wellbeing support includes a staff support hub and 24/7 employee assistance programme which incorporates mental health support, counselling services and access to the PAM Assist health and wellbeing app.
We have signed the Menopause Pledge and offer gender specific and gender-neutral health and wellbeing support with access to financial advice. We offer discounted gym and leisure centre membership including free lunch time swimming; interest free loans for season tickets, nursery childcare, and bikes, a “try before you buy” bike scheme and cycle training, smoking cessation, free eye tests and money towards glasses.
Active Employee Groups including the Black and Multicultural Forum, Anti-racist Network Group, LGBTQ+ Forum, Disabled Staff Forum, Climate Emergency Staff Forum, Trade Union Memberships, and a staff-led Change Network
Staff tell us they feel valued and enjoy working in Lewisham and are well supported by their managers with regular reflective supervision and good access to training.
“Lewisham has so much to offer any social worker. I feel supported, respected and valued every step of the way”
Lewisham Social Worker
If you have any questions about applying for this role, or if you are interested in having an informal discussion about working with us, please contact our Recruitment and Retention Manager, Angela Main at angela.main@lewisham.gov.uk or Sara Taylor, our Principal Social Worker: sara.taylor@lewisham.gov.uk