Social Work Support Assistant

Social Work Support Assistant - Permanent, Full time (37 hours)  

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Social Work assistant to join our enthusiastic Mental Health team in West Northumberland. This is an opportunity to make a difference.  

You will:  

• Work alongside other professional, promoting strength based approaches to practice and service delivery to adults with Learning disabilities. 

 • Work alongside and in partnership with individuals, families and carers using a range of interpersonal and communication skills in relationship to comprehensively assess complex psychosocial need, set objectives, develop care plans and deliver appropriate interventions. 

 • Complete Care Act Assessments, Mental Capacity Assessments and collaborate with a range of external services to access any resources required to meet the care and support needs you have identified. 

 • Lead in ensuring their safety in their day to day lives and to help them live as full and independent a life as possible.  

• Be responsible for the day-to-day management of your caseload but will have regular supervision and the full support of your Team Manager.  

It is essential that you have a clear understanding of the Care Act and the Local Authorities statutory duties. We are committed to protecting and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults and expect all staff to share this commitment.  

You will need to:  

• Have a strong commitment to enabling and empowering service users to live independently in the community and help them think creatively about how they can do that. There will be a focus on managing risk and ensuring service users are protected from significant harm. 

 • Be able to work well within a team and independently, have good time management skills and an ability to prioritise.  

• Have strong interpersonal, advocacy and communication skills.  

• Have solid IT skills to be able to input, use and retrieve data and information although full system training will be given.  

Essential requirements: 

 • NVQ 3 in social care or equivalent  

• Experience of working with adults in a social care setting • Some knowledge of legislation relevant to mental health and adult social care  

• Due to the nature of this role, it is an essential requirement of the role that the post holder has a valid driving license and has access to a car they can use for work purposes.  

This post is NCC Band 5 salary - £26,421 - £28,770

Northumberland is world-renowned as a visitor destination and an ideal location to strike a perfect work/life balance. There is no better way of enjoying the picturesque scenery and stunning coastline than on an everyday basis! 

Why choose us? 
We have some outstanding benefits to offer you, including: 

• 26 days annual leave plus public/bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro rata for part-time employees) 

• Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme 

• Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro rata for part-time employees) 

• Local government discount schemes available to all employees with offers at local businesses along with various national brands 

• Commitment to work/life balance offering flexibility through various schemes including job sharing, flexible working, term-time only, and compressed hours 

• A range of salary sacrifice schemes are available  

• Staff networks - run by staff, for staff, providing opportunities for peer networking, mutual support, staff development e.g. Apprenticeship, Armed Forces, ASD, Enable (disability), LGBT+, Menopause, Mental Wellbeing, Racial Equality 

Further information 
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you wish to notify us of your eligibility for this scheme, please email hrrecruitment@northumberland.gov.uk or ring 01670 623930 with your name and the job title you have applied for and one of the recruitment team will ensure this is factored into the shortlisting process and kept anonymous. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below.  This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.    

Alternative application format: 
British Sign Language: northumberlandcc-cs.signvideo.net   
For those with speech difficulties or hearing loss: Text relay service dial 018001 01670 623930  

Although we advertise on North East Jobs, and other websites, your application process will be directed to our Tribepad system.  Please note that all communication regarding your application for this post will be sent to the email address that you have registered on Tribepad, including your invite to interview if you are shortlisted. Please check your emails regularly, including Spam/Junk, after the closing dates for notifications.