Adult Social Care Contact Officer - 2 posts - Fixed term to January 2027 in Bournemouth

Role Purpose

Contact Officers act as the first point of contact made from members of the public and internal and external professionals. They receive enquiries and information from a wide range of people, providing appropriate advice and information, supporting statutory referrals, initiating assessment processes as well as recording details of new referrals for Adult Social Care onto the system that need to be allocated to teams within the Service Unit.

Enabling Adult Social Care Teams to carry out work effectively and efficiently by collecting correct information from referrers, recording this data appropriately. This will include gatekeeping all referrals to services via agreed protocols.

Ensuring that callers whose needs following an initial assessment appear to fall outside current criteria are given useful and relevant information to enable them to gain the knowledge required in order to have choices over the services and activities they wish to pursue to maintain their independence. This will also include signposting members of the public to the web-based directory of services.

To receive referral information from members of the public and colleagues in other agencies, and to record this accurately on the appropriate system and forward when needed. To signpost or refer people to other agencies where their services are considered to be more appropriate than those provided by Adult Social Care and Primary Mental Health.

Provide advice and information as appropriate, including eligibility for a range of services including (not exhaustive) accessing welfare benefits, community based and voluntary activities, debt counselling and housing. This will include signposting people to the web based directory of services.

Contribute towards maintaining up to date information on the web-based resources for use by Adult Social Care services, other professionals and members of the public.

To be the first point of access for the police, mental health professionals, GP’s and other professionals to request mental health act assessments, safeguarding alerts and queries. Record activity and input accurate data to the required standard and keep data up to date as required by Unit policies and procedures. This will include keeping out of hours services informed if an Approved Mental Health professional is still working after normal working hours. Alerting the AMHP HUB or relevant manager of any risk information relevant to a Mental Health Act Assessment before an Approved Mental Health Practitioner undertakes this.

To attend regular supervision and training required by the service. Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the Council’s statutory functions in regards to the Care Act 2014, Mental Health Act and Safeguarding Adults Legislation. Follow all relevant BCP Council and Unit policies and procedures.

Main Responsibilities

• Be the first point of contact for professionals, and the general public requiring information or services.
• Ensure that people contacting the Contact Centre receive a timely, courteous and helpful response.
• Administer the Crisis advice scheme in line with Local authority policy and guidance.
• Support the triaging process for safeguarding of vulnerable adults.
• Support the statutory work undertaken by the Approved Mental Health Team.
• Initiate the assessment process of adults requiring services.
• Cover core hours of 8:30 AM to 5:15 PM Monday-Thursday and until 4:30 PM on Friday to cover all areas of work.
• Comply with all decisions, policies and standing orders of the Council and any relevant statutory requirements, including Equal Opportunities legislation, the Health and Safety at Work Act and GDPR.

The Ideal Candidate

• Recent work experience in social care or similar field, involving direct contact with members of the public and hospital environment.
• Experience in working as part of a team liaising with health and social care professionals.
• GCSE (or equivalent) in English.
• Good communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to keep efficient written records of work done.
• Ability to organise and prioritise work and meet deadlines.
• Computer literacy in Microsoft Outlook and Word.
• Ability to relate to a wide range of people.
• Ability to work co-operatively as part of a team.
• Ability to manage tasks effectively on own initiative.
• Aware of social, legal, and political context within which social care services are delivered.
• Flexible and adaptable approach to working arrangements.
• Willingness to undertake training and an interest in developing own skills and contributing to development of those of other staff.

Salary

Starting salary for this role is £30,518 (pro rata for part-time colleagues). This role sits within a well defined pay band, offering clear progression as you grow your career at BCP. All new starters begin at the entry point of the band, ensuring fairness and consistency across the organisation.

Eligibility and EEO

Applicants to this post will be required to complete an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service Check. Please note, this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship and we can only consider applicants with existing right to work in the UK. BCP Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the community and expects all staff and volunteers to share the same commitment. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on any protected characteristic.