Social Worker

Permanent Contract | £35,411 to £37,261 per annum (Scale J) | 37 hours per week (Job share considered) Chatterton House, Kings Lynn

We offer a £2000 welcome payment for qualified and experienced Social Workers (grade J and above), Practice Consultants and Team Managers new to Norfolk County Council.

For experienced Social Workers new to Norfolk County Council we promise to try and match or better your existing salary, providing its in the spectrum of the grade advertised.

Who Cares? We do.

It’s an exciting time to join us in Adult Social Services. Using the ‘Living Well’ approach to care, our vision is to promote independence and support recovery for our service users. We are looking to recruit a Social Worker to join the West Mental Health Social Work Team. Working alongside our key partner, Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, you will provide an integrated approach to assessment and care for adults with mental health needs. Working in a friendly team, you will work alongside the Team Manager, Practice Consultants, Social Workers and Assistant Practitioners in a truly supportive environment. You may have experience in the field of mental health or be looking to broaden your skills and experience.

If you are a qualified Social Worker, registered with Social Work England, and are committed to working to a person-centred way and have the skills to work in a multi-disciplinary setting and in complex situations, we would be interested in hearing from you. In return we can offer you the opportunity to work in an exciting area of Social Care. You will have regular supervision and the support of a highly motivated team along with the relevant training required for the post and to develop your role.

We invest in our team’s professional development, offering the opportunity to train as an AMHP or Practice Educator. Norfolk has some of the most scenic and peaceful countryside and picturesque villages and market towns. The area offers numerous traditional pubs, an array of walking/cycling routes for the outdoor enthusiast and is a short distance from the historic and bustling city of Norwich. There are excellent rail links to London and the North and Norwich International Airport provides a range of flights to Europe and beyond. A team player, you will need to demonstrate an ability to work under pressure, be well organised and able to effectively prioritise and risk assess a complex caseload.

You will have experience, knowledge and commitment to strength-based assessments, commitment to psychosocial aspects of Promoting Independence , focusing on autonomy and on community integration, and provide statutory responsibilities under the Care Act 2014, Mental Health Act 1983 and other relevant legislation.

Who are we?

The Adult Mental Health Social Care team works with adults aged 18-65 experiencing serious mental health issues and/or autism. We also work with adults with ongoing mental health needs and dual diagnosis . The service is delivered through 5 locality mental health social care teams across Norfolk, the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) team and a hospital discharge team in Norwich.

The AMHP team is led by a manager and practice consultant staff who are responsible for the daily triage of MHA assessment referrals. We share offices with our NHS colleagues, the Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust, to ensure the social care voice is represented in multi-disciplinary team discussions. The service has a strong and confident professional social care identify which we use to make a positive difference to the lives of people experiencing serious mental illness and to protect them from harm.

Alison Simpkin, Head of Service Says: “It’s not just about commissioning packages of care but more often about using our own social work skills to connect with a person to understand their strengths, ambitions and assets. We are passionate about applying the Living Well approach principles and the recovery model, with practitioners demonstrating a skilled approach to taking positive risks to promote a person’s independence.”

The teams highly value reflective practice, professional development and supports learning by promoting training, progression and placements for students and apprentices. We also encourage social work staff to develop their skills through additional training to become AMHP’s, best interest assessors or practice educators.

The Mental Health Social Care service also covers the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding (DoLS) team responsible for assessments for those who lack capacity to consent to their care and support arrangements in care homes and hospitals.

Alison Simpkin says: “The strength of Norfolk County Council’s mental health service comes from the diversity of the teams and the confidence, knowledge and skill of practitioners to apply legal frameworks in their area of work. As Head of Social Care, I am proud to lead this service and recognise the depth and breadth of expertise, commitment and passion the staff bring to their work. I have no doubt their dedication and drive make a difference to the lives of so many people in Norfolk.”

What we offer

At Norfolk County Council we are committed to our employees’ learning and development. We offer all Social Workers and Occupational Therapists a protected half day per month for continuing professional development and training.

We want our people to be inspired and motivated to work well together, make the most of our workspaces, enjoy a healthy work-life balance, and deliver excellent services to Norfolk and its people. Flexibility is built into the way we work, with hybrid working a key feature for many roles. Our technology platform and equipment are first class, enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely. We ask that you have in place good Broadband connectivity.

We operate a talent pool scheme whereby candidates who are not successful on this occasion may be considered for a period of up to 3 months for equal positions.

You can also find out about the rewards and benefits we offer as well as our other terms and conditions.

Kings Lynn is in west Norfolk approx. 50 miles from Norwich, which is is the county capital of Norfolk, 120 miles from London and 60 miles from Cambridge. It’s on the edge of the Broads National Park, and a 40-minute drive to the seaside. Kings Lynn is a historic small town with beautiful coastlines. The town itself has modern shopping centres, excellent restaurants, cafés and pubs, parks and green spaces with opportunities around for canoeing, rowing and sailing.

By train, Kings Lynn to London takes 120 mins, Norwich to London takes 90 minutes. Norwich International Airport has regular flights to Schiphol, Amsterdam and from there on to the rest of the world, plus daily internal flights to Scotland, Manchester, Exeter and Dublin.

Your application

Please ensure you include a statement in your application to demonstrate why you feel you meet the person specification and job description for this post. CVs submitted without a supporting statement about this post will not be accepted. You need to be registered with Social Work England as a practising Social Worker.

If you would like to discuss this role in more detail, please contact Claire Ashworth (Team Manager) on 01553 614949.

These are some benefits you can enjoy by working for Norfolk County Council:

• Competitive salary
• Generous holiday entitlement with the ability to buy and sell leave
• Health and Wellbeing services including fast-track physiotherapy and a free counselling service
• Flexible working opportunities including flexi-time, part time, remote and hybrid working – dependant on your job role and business need.
• Financial benefits such as:
  • ‘ Norfolk Rewards’ our employee discounts programme which helps you save money on almost anything, from everyday groceries and clothes, to holidays, new technology, gym membership, trips to the cinema and days out.
  • A Blue Light card for Fire Service and Social Care Workers
  • Relocation expenses paid upfront (where applicable)
  • An advance of your expenses if you travel for work
  • Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution, life assurance, death in service payments and dependants’ pensions.
  • A payment if you refer someone you know to a hard to fill job.
  • Tax efficient ways of getting extra pension, new bikes and electric cars.

Before you apply, we recommend reading the full Job Description and Person Specification to help you demonstrate you meet the criteria. You can also find information on our Terms and Conditions here.

Already a Norfolk County Council employee? See and apply for internal and external vacancies in myOracle using your @norfolk.gov.uk or @nccal.ac.uk email.

We welcome internal applications for this role but would like to make you aware that priority consideration for this post may be given to current employees who are affected by restructure within the organisation or are in a redeployment position.

Closing date: 12 May 2024 at 23:59