• Location: covering Taunton & West, Mendip, North Sedgemoor and South Somerset
• 30 days annual leave entitlement
• Working within a culture that supports practitioner growth and development

We are a community hospital-based social work team supporting Somerset residents to return to their gloriously ordinary lives following a hospital admission. Our ethos throughout our practice means we’ll aim to return people to their homes if they are able to.

Your duties will include;

• Admission avoidance and prevention ensuring people are safe.
• Person centred discharge planning using a strengths-based approach.
• Multi-disciplinary working (Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, and other medical professionals).
• Advocating – making sure people’s voices are heard.
• Advocating for the carers and unpaid carers.
• Encouraging people to be independent, helping them grow their confidence and make the most of the support available to suit their individual needs.
• Identifying what people and families are worried about or what they want to achieve, exploring what support they already have and what they need.
• Developing great knowledge of your local area and working in partnership with local agencies and the village agents.
• Providing creative solutions – out of the box thinking.
• Making evidence-based decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Being a critical part of developing our new and exciting Adult Social Care service.
• Management of complex cases including some court of protection and safeguarding when required.

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But to be successful in this role you will need:

• To be a qualified Social Worker and be registered with Social Work England.
• Access to/use of a vehicle is an essential requirement for this role. When applying, please state the area you’d like to be considered for.

 At Somerset Council, we work hard to attract the best staff and we want to make sure that once you are on board, you are well supported and rewarded for the work you do.

• This grade offers 30 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) and the option to request to buy up to 2 weeks additional annual leave pro rata
• We can consider, full time, part time, and term-time hours.
• A clear career pathway with apprenticeships, professional, leadership and academic programmes and qualifications, regular CPD opportunities and a corporate coaching and mentoring scheme
• A new comprehensive induction programme supported by Practice Development Advanced Practitioners, plus a confidential and impartial welcome call to ensure your induction goes smoothly
• Ongoing support & development opportunities – regular CPD events arranged and delivered by our dedicated Adult Social Care Learning and Development team, including an annual Carnival of Practice event with key speakers such as the Chief Social Worker, a team of Advanced Practitioner – Practice Development roles to support our workforce, personalised personal development plans, a corporate coaching and mentoring scheme.
• Local Government pension scheme
• Employee support networks that acknowledge and celebrate the richness of diversity and equality within our workforce
• Guaranteed Interview Schemes – Disability Confident, Veterans, Care Leavers
• Employee assistance and support offering a variety of wellbeing services and events to support a healthy work/life balance inc. a free online gym offer, dedicated Mental Wellbeing Ambassadors and much more!
• Relocation of up to £8000, subject to meeting eligibility requirements.
• Access to the Blue Light Card which offers thousands of discounts online and on the high street
• My Staff Shop which offers a variety of discounts including; cinemas, shopping, restaurants, gym discounts and more!
• Discounted lease car options via salary sacrifice, along with discounts on fuel
• Cycle to work scheme

The Health Interface Service (acute hospitals) works within the model for intermediate care, bringing together key organisations and integrated services. Intermediate care services are comprised of: Admission avoidance and crisis response, Home First Pathways, Specialist beds and End of Life care.

We know that times are challenging, and our work is challenging too. We offer flexible working options to cover our working hours of 8am until 6pm, 7 days a week.

Although we can offer some flexibility with hybrid working, you will be expected to travel to the hospital locations as this is where the people we support are mainly based.

You will receive tailored support for your personal development thanks to our new practice development leads. We believe in growing our own and supporting professional development and Somerset could be the start of your journey!

This is a Grade 10 post with a current salary of £36,124 to £40,476 per annum. Appointments are normally made at the bottom of the salary scale.

Got a question about becoming a Social Worker with Somerset Council? Give Helen Readdy, Recruitment & Engagement Officer a call on: 01823 355166 / 07977410483 or email: Helen.Readdy@somerset.gov.uk

We are a socially active council and run many webinars and events, team away days, volunteering opportunities plus, hold regular staff Q&A sessions. We encourage professional development and training to support your learning and aspirations. And there are also a variety of networking groups and activities that you can join.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve so we will always welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our teams. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early if we have received a sufficient number of applications, so don't delay, apply today!

Investment

We have recently invested £1.4m into our workforce. As a result, we have substantially increased the number of social work, occupational therapy, advanced practitioner and other leadership posts. We’ve also increased; Adult Social Care Practitioner roles, introduced Occupational Therapy Assistants and strengthened our Business Support. This investment is enabling us to re-focus on providing excellent social work and occupational therapy practice and doing the right thing, with and for, the people we serve.

Smaller specialist teams

We have created smaller neighbourhood teams who will know and be part of their local communities, alongside new specialist teams including Mental Health Social Care, Learning Disabilities and Adult Safeguarding.

Additional posts

We have created additional Advanced Practitioner Posts to provide compassionate and visionary leadership, and developed effective, supportive teams with a strong sense of identity and belonging.

There are also new Practice Development Advanced Practitioner Posts within teams/services focusing on practice, social work values, human rights, social justice, anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice, and providing practice education, quality assurance and CPD.

Competency framework linked to Career pathways

We have launched a Competency Framework linked to a career pathway, and professional, leadership and academic programmes and qualifications.

We are prioritising the prevention agenda including our Occupational Therapy Service developing Somerset Independent Living Centres across Somerset.

Ambitious

We are ambitious and are working to make real change happen. We want relationship-based practice, compassionate leadership and co-production with the people we work with and serve, to be at the heart of all we do.

We are reclaiming narratives about social work and believe in the power of lived experiences of people (including workers), and sharing stories. To get a sense of this, listen to Social Work Sessions podcast: Social Work Sessions

You will be working alongside nationally recognised professionals with staff shortlisted for “Social Worker of the Year” awards 2022 and 2023.

We have a supportive and friendly culture… Don’t believe us? Checkout our Glassdoor rating.

Not currently living in Somerset? Don’t worry! Subject to meeting qualifying conditions, we offer relocation of up to £8,000.

Somerset has plenty to offer! Situated in a beautiful, rural county in a central southwest location but with good city links. With scenic countryside, historic sites, charming towns and villages, family-friendly attractions, beaches, festivals (Glastonbury!) and events, outdoor activities, zoos, water parks and plenty of local produce to try, there’s something for everyone!

Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early if we have received a sufficient number of applications, so don't delay, apply today!

This post requires a criminal background check via the Disclosure procedure