Senior Practitioner- Hospital Discharge Team (Part-time) in Liverpool

A bit about us: Liverpool is home to vibrant, energetic, and engaged communities, people who take real ownership of their local area and are passionate about making our city a better place. We've got ambitious targets to meet and we need people who are driven, dynamic and ready to deliver the very best for our communities. Public service is more important than ever, and this role represents a real opportunity to make a difference to our communities by transforming the way we work and placing our residents at the heart of everything we do.

Working at Liverpool City Council provides an opportunity to contribute to your community and make a positive impact on the lives of residents. Our values shape how we work to deliver public services, and how we communicate with the residents we serve. We care about the best outcomes for local people, through our public services. We are proud of our world‑famous thriving city with its rich culture, as well as affordable housing, good schools, beautiful green spaces – there’s really something for everyone!

Join our Hospital Discharge Team – make a real difference every day! Are you a compassionate and dedicated Social Worker looking to make a real difference at a critical point in people’s lives? We are seeking motivated professionals to join our dynamic Hospital Discharge Team, where social work has an immediate, visible impact. Hospital discharge is often the point at which people are most vulnerable. The right decision, made at the right time, can transform outcomes for individuals, families, and the wider health and care system.

In this role, you’ll play a vital part in ensuring safe, timely and person‑centred discharges, working as a key member of a multidisciplinary team to assess needs, coordinate services, manage risk and advocate for patients and their families. You’ll support people to leave hospital safely, regain independence and return home where they belong, balancing pace with quality, autonomy with safeguarding, and compassion with clear professional judgement. This is fast‑paced, complex work, but it is also deeply rewarding – every day brings challenge, collaboration, and the satisfaction of seeing the impact of your decisions in real time.

What sets our service apart is its culture. The management team is open, reflective and genuinely values new ideas. You’ll be encouraged to use your frontline experience to contribute to the development of practice, pathways and procedures, helping the service evolve and improve. If you’re passionate about empowering individuals, navigating complex systems, and making services better, you’ll have a real voice here. If you’re motivated by meaningful work, professional autonomy and the opportunity to shape better outcomes from hospital to home, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and help make a difference where it matters most.

The role: As a Senior Practitioner within the Hospital Discharge Team, you will provide professional leadership, line management and mentoring to Social Workers and Social Care Assessors working within a fast‑paced, multidisciplinary hospital environment. You will manage a small but complex caseload and support the delivery of safe and timely discharges.

As a Senior Practitioner you will ensure the delivery of high‑quality, strengths‑based assessments and outcome‑focused support planning that enable people to return home safely wherever possible, prevent unnecessary admissions to long‑term care, and reduce delayed discharges. You will support timely assessments, reviews and decision‑making, balancing risk, proportionality, and person‑centred outcomes.

The role as a Senior Practitioner requires strong operational oversight, including practice supervision, coaching and quality assurance in a hospital setting. You will support staff to complete Mental Capacity Act assessments, best‑interest decision‑making, safeguarding enquiries, and complex discharge planning, including cases involving CHC, Section 117 aftercare, homelessness, substance misuse, and family disagreement.

As a Senior Practitioner you will work closely with acute trust colleagues, ICB partners, therapy services, discharge hubs, trusted assessors, and community teams to resolve barriers to discharge. This includes chairing and contributing to multidisciplinary meetings, supporting escalation and resolution of system pressures, and ensuring discharge plans are legally robust, proportionate, and defensible.

You will also contribute to performance management, financial oversight, and value‑for‑money decision‑making within Adult Social Care. In this role as a Senior Practitioner, you will prepare and quality‑assure written work, including professional reports, complex case records, and Court of Protection documentation where required, and support staff to evidence sound professional judgement and reflective practice in high‑risk environments.

As a Senior Practitioner you will model inclusive, strengths‑based and trauma‑informed practice, aligned with the Council’s values and Competency Framework (Level 2). You will foster a culture of learning, accountability and continuous improvement, supporting staff development while maintaining high standards under pressure.

This role as a Senior Practitioner is critical to maintaining strong collaborative relationships with health colleagues and partners, embedding consistent hospital discharge standards, and supporting whole‑system resilience during periods of high demand. While the Senior Practitioner will have a designated base, the role requires flexibility to work across hospital sites in response to service demand.

Our offer to you: At least 27 days holiday, plus bank holidays rising to 32 after 5 years’ service (pro rata if part time) – option to purchase further days. Agile working- a “Flexibility First” approach to agile working, where flexibility is the norm rather than the exception. Part of the Local Government Pension Scheme – option to join the AVC Scheme. Progression opportunities and training through a wide range of high quality learning. Health and Wellbeing offer including Employee Assistance Programme. Cycle to Work and Travel Pass Schemes. Drive Time – a salary sacrifice car lease scheme. Family friendly policies with enhanced leave. Discounted Gym Memberships. Employee Volunteering Scheme.

Closing date: Midnight on Tuesday 2nd June 2026. Shortlisting date: Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th June 2026. Interview date: W/C Monday 15th June 2026. Interview type: Face‑to‑face.

Liverpool City Council is committed to fostering a workforce representative of the communities we serve. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe in appointing candidates based on their skills, experience, qualifications, and abilities. To support this commitment, we guarantee an interview to candidates from under‑represented groups who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role. If you require any reasonable adjustments in line with the Equality Act 2010, such as an application form in a different format or additional time to complete your application, please contact us at recruitment@liverpool.gov.uk.