Social Work Assistant, Highland House, Perth - PKC13755

Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of something meaningful. It's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

An opportunity has arisen to join the Mental Health Officer Team as a Mental Health Social Work Assistant. You will be closely aligned with the Forensic Community Mental Health Team, working with adults with severe and enduring mental health needs. You will be closely involved in multi-disciplinary working, taking a recovery-focused approach. Working alongside Mental Health Officers, social workers and NHS partners, you will assess and identify personal outcomes and contribute to recovery-focused care planning and reviews. You will also be directly involved in the delivery of support to adults with severe and enduring mental health needs.

You will have experience in developing and maintaining effective working relationships with individuals, families and carers, and the ability to build strong working relationships with health and social care partners and other agencies. You will deliver support in line with policy, procedure and best practice.

Skills & Experience Required

You will be required to hold SVQ Level 3 in Social Services & Healthcare / Health and Social Care, or equivalent, and have experience of mental health recovery-related work. You will be skilled in developing effective interpersonal relationships with service users, families, carers and other agencies, and have experience of working in partnership with other locality-based partners to offer support focused on personal outcomes and recovery. You will demonstrate good written, IT and verbal communication skills, and have experience and skills in assessment, care planning and review processes. You must have a genuine interest in working with people in a recovery-focused way to improve their mental health and wellbeing. You must have a valid UK driving licence as this post requires you to travel to a variety of locations across Perth and Kinross.

If this sounds like a role where you could share your relevant experience and make a positive difference, we would like to hear from you.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours.

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Flexi time
• Access to a range of benefits

A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

For purposes of connection and collaboration with colleagues and with the community we serve, our full-time employees work on site for a minimum of 2 days per week with the arrangements for part time employees being agreed on a basis which will ensure that they benefit to an equivalent degree.

We are committed to being a more inclusive employer - to ensure we can consider any reasonable adjustments, please either contact the recruiting manager to discuss any individual circumstances, discuss at interview or, if you prefer, after any conditional offer is made.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Lorna Davage, Team Leader on 01738 476 225 or 07500 761 196 to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer. We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check and maintain your membership. If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.