Advanced Social Worker – Adult Social Care – 8890

We are excited to offer this opportunity to further develop our practice focused career pathway for Social Workers. Here in Devon County Council, we are passionate about developing people and committed to achieving excellence in practice, based on what matters to people. The role of the Advanced Social Worker is key to driving best practice and supporting our teams. We strive to deliver the best outcomes for individuals by working alongside the people who access our services, the providers, our Practice Leads in Devon County Council, and the wider network of organisations such as the NHS and District Councils.

About us: Newton Abbot Community Health and Social Care Team (CHSCT) are part of the wider South Devon teams neighbouring with Teignmouth and Dawlish, and Totnes and Dartmouth CHSCT’s. We are comprised of a team of colleagues from a range of professional backgrounds including Social Work, Occupational Therapy and non-registered staff. We have a diverse demographic and the team supports work with adults of working age with a physical and/or learning disability and older persons with physical disabilities and/or mental health, including dementia, and carers. We are based in Sherborne House in the centre of Newton Abbot and cover a large geographical patch covering the practice population of nine GP surgeries.

A busy but friendly and supportive team, we are committed to ensuring a person-centred culture, putting people at the forefront of what we do. One of the huge benefits of working in Newton Abbot are the well-established team of committed self-starting practitioners. They have a strong work ethic and positively work to champion the rights of the individuals we work with. They are a highly competent team who manage difficult situations on a daily basis and exhibit strengths-based practice every day. We have a strong team spirit and are committed to working collaboratively with our co-located integrated community services team including, Community Nursing, Intermediate Care and Community Therapy. We are passionate about supporting our colleagues to progress their professional and career development.

About You: Are you an experienced Social Worker looking for the next exciting step in your career? Do you want to be a part of an organisation that is committed to investing in people, and investing in practice? If you answered yes and have the following experience, we want to hear from you:

• Passionate about promoting independence, health and wellbeing and rights for the people of Devon.
• Experience of coaching and mentoring professional colleagues, driving creativity in practice.
• Leadership experience in supervising or managing others.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills, adopting a person-centred approach to practice.
• Substantial post-qualifying experience as a registered practitioner in Social Work.
• In-depth knowledge of professional practice, working theories and models, embedding these into practice and evaluating effectiveness.
• Solid understanding of the regulatory and inspection framework within which services operate.
• Demonstrable experience of leading improvement and challenging the quality of practice within the application of the expected standards.

In return, you will join an excellent team and receive high levels of support from your Community service manager, co-team manager, and Advanced Social Worker, as well as the wider leadership team in Newton Abbot; Community Nursing, and Intermediate Care Operational leads, and Clinical Leads. Our core values underpin organisational culture and vision, which we embed into authentic, committed, and inspirational management and leadership. Our progression and development routes are designed to help you shape a career path that suits your individual goals. We will be here to support you every step of the way in your continued professional development.

Here’s a few more reasons why our people enjoy working with us:

• I like how autonomous you can be. It reinforces the integrity of the profession.
• I feel trusted by the organisation.
• I have felt consistently supported.

Join us and make a difference where it matters most.

What we can offer you: We are committed to your continuous professional development, doing all we can to help you to get the most from your career. You will receive excellent support and supervision, with regular opportunities to discuss and reflect on your practice, both with your line manager and peers. We offer 26 days annual leave, plus Bank Holidays, rising incrementally to 31 days after 5 years’ service. Flexible working opportunities are available, these include part-time hours, flexitime, compressed working hours and homeworking (this is subject to the needs of the role – please discuss at further at interview). Offer an opportunity to enter a generous Local Government Pension Scheme.

As a place to live and work, Devon is hard to beat with top-performing schools, universities, vibrant cities, pretty villages and some of the most scenic coast and countryside in the UK. Living and working in Devon as an Advanced Social Worker has never been more attractive.

If you are currently living, working or studying in the UK and are looking to relocate to Devon, subject to qualifying conditions and in exceptional circumstances, relocation support of up to £10,000 may be available. Visa sponsorship may also be offered as part of the relocation support package, terms and conditions apply. Please note: At this time, we are unable to consider overseas applications.

For an informal discussion please contact Katrina Dwyer – katrina.dwyer@nhs.net

How to apply: Please ensure when completing your application form that you provide a supporting statement which demonstrates how you meet the essential and desirable criteria as described in the person specification of the job description. Applications may not be taken forwards if the supporting statement is not adequately completed. Internal Applicants, please note: If you are an existing DCC employee, please use your iTrent Employee Self Service (ESS) details to log in and apply.

Does the job role include personal care? No

Working Patterns: TBC

Essential details: DCC embraces the positive benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and safe. We welcome applications from people who share our commitment to stop discrimination, challenge inequality and promote diversity across Devon. More information can be found on our Equality and Diversity webpages.

Happy to Talk Flexible Working – The Council offers flexible working arrangements in terms of when and where people work e.g. hybrid working, part-time, condensed hours etc. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Personal data we collect from you will be processed in accordance with the Applicant privacy notice. For more information about Working for Devon please visit our Working for Devon page. We cannot consider visa sponsorship at this time. UK Right to Work is required. For further guidance on right to work in the UK, please visit Work in the UK - GOV.UK. This role requires a DBS disclosure. This role requires Social Work England Registration (SWE).