Social Care Practitioner in Plymouth

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Social Care Practitioner (Band 5) to join Livewell Southwest in the Discharge to Assess Team. This role requires candidates with prior experience, and a strong commitment to delivering strengths-based and solution-focused support, enabling individuals to lead independent, healthy lives.

All Livewell Southwest staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service. Please note that Livewell may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline if a high number of applications are submitted. Therefore, we recommend you submit your application at the earliest opportunity.

• To provide quality information and advice to people and their carers on the best ways to meet their needs and achieve their stated outcomes and help them to live their lives as independently as possible.
• To develop a wide range of skills and knowledge to be able to complete an initial assessment alongside safeguarding enquiries.
• To complete holistic assessments under the Care Act 2014, equipment provision and support risk management.
• To have a knowledge of a wide range of services (including third sector) to support people to achieve their identified outcomes.
• To take a strength-based approach to referral and assessment.
• To undertake assessments of need and to help people to develop outcome-based support plans.
• To recognise and take appropriate action when people are at risk of harm, abuse or neglect.
• To assist people in the assessment and support planning process by helping them to assess risks and determine necessary support and contingency plans.
• To help people and their carers to identify sustainable contingency plans to help them maintain independent living in emergency and crisis situations.

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in parts of Devon and Cornwall. Our teams work in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs. As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we are guided by our values: kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration. We focus on transforming services to ensure sustainability while empowering staff and those we serve.

We involve the people we care for, along with their families and carers, in shaping the care they receive, striving to deliver the right care at the right time and place. Centering our work on individual needs helps people lead healthy, independent lives. We prioritise employees' development, offering protected CPD time, training pathways, leadership programs, and funding for qualifications like the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Our induction and preceptorship programs ensure a smooth transition into our organisation. Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community, including those with armed forces experience, lived experience of mental health, neuro-diverse conditions and learning disabilities.

• The post holder is required to discharge statutory social care functions on behalf of the organisation.
• They are required to undertake non-complex and proportionate assessments that are evidenced-based.
• The term non-complex is defined as predictable situations often where the person is motivated to engage and respond to information, guidance and advice.
• The person may present a low-level risk to self or others and the risk can be managed safely.
• These situations often require short-term interventions, and the decisions require some analysis of different views and factors impacting on the person's life, this could include mental capacity assessments and care act assessments of people who have a variety of needs.
• The post holder is also required to arrange and review the delivery of social care support.
• There may be situations where the work is complex and on these occasions the post holder will seek support from social work colleagues and their line manager.

Experience:

• Experience of working in a Health and/or Social Care setting, including voluntary work or administrative role.
• Enthusiasm and commitment to developing within an Adult Social Care setting.
• Experience in word processing, MS Office Word and Excel.
• Evidence of a consistent pattern of learning and development from education, training and experience.
• Ability to travel across the LW footprint.

Knowledge:

• Understanding of Adult Social Care and The Care Act 2014.
• Knowledge of the relevant policies and procedures of Livewell and the Department.
• Awareness of relevant up-to-date legislation pertinent to the role.
• Awareness of the Social Work England / Livewell Southwest Code of Practice to meet the standards of practice and conduct required of social care workers.
• Resources in order to provide advice and information to enable vulnerable adults and carers to make informed choices, e.g. Allowances, access to support.
• Safeguarding for vulnerable adults and children and young people.
• Working knowledge and experience of working to address a range of human needs, including personal crisis, disability, ill health.
• Reasonable awareness of the potential effects of providing regular and substantial unpaid care to a relative, friend or neighbour.
• Practical and procedural knowledge for a range of tasks related to the service area of the policies or procedures relating to at least one other service, e.g. NHS Continuing Health Care; multi-disciplinary assessments.

Qualifications:

• Educated to degree level in a relevant subject.
• Or Educated to Vocational Level 3 or equivalent significant, relevant knowledge & experience appropriate to the role.
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development.
• Good general education to GCSE level or equivalent.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check:

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.