Social Worker

Job Description

Permanent contract | £37,336 to £39,186 per annum (Scale J) | 37 hours per week | Havenbridge House, Great Yarmouth

We offer a £2000 welcome payment for qualified and experienced Social Workers/Occupational Therapists (grade J and above), Practice Consultants and Team Managers new to Norfolk County Council. Amount to be repaid in full should they leave within two years of employment.

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.

The learning disability social care team is a specialist social care team which is integrated with colleagues from the specialist learning disability health service. We all work and support each other to better the lives of people with a learning disability over 18 years old.

The social work teams play a vital role in changing and challenging the outcomes for a people with a learning disability in Norfolk. We use legislation to ensure that people’s rights are upheld, and that they are supported to keep safe in their communities whilst achieving the outcomes that are important to them.

We are a Norfolk-wide service, and team members work from the various locality bases. We support each other to ensure the rights of people with a learning disability are upheld and to ensure adults with a learning disability in Norfolk have the same access to housing, work, education, and community as all other residents of Norfolk. We have big ambitions to support people to hold their own tenancies, and to receive paid employment.

Working alongside commissioning colleagues, we are re-imagining our support offer to people to ensure that our provision meets the needs of those with a learning disability in our community and that the ambitions and aspirations of those we support can be achieved.

Head of Social Care for Adult Learning Disabilities, Corinne Avery said: "If you are a person who enjoys advocating for people you support, challenging the status quo, supporting change, and having variety in your work, the Learning Disability team can’t wait to hear from you."

We asked the team for some thoughts about working in Adult Learning Disabilities and they said:

• The management are fantastic, there’s a great team spirit and supportive structure, communication and willingness to help each other - Rob
• Really supportive teams - Angie
• The work and people are interesting and diverse… it’s never boring - Tracey
• Getting the chance to work in a multi-disciplinary team, focusing on people’s future and being inventive - Ebony
• I enjoy working creatively with people to promote independence. Initially I was apprehensive about working with people with a Learning Disability, now I glow with positivity at the work I do. - Olwen

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. 

Parts of both Norfolk and Suffolk combine to make up this locality. Large swathes of the Broads National Park run from north to south, with windmills dotting the skyline and huge beaches forming the coastline, including the seaside towns of Hemsby, Caister-on-Sea and Southwold. Inland, Beccles and Bungay are beautiful historic market towns.

The largest Norfolk town in this locality is the popular seaside resort, market town and maritime port of Great Yarmouth, 21 miles east of Norwich and easily accessible by road or rail. Lowestoft in Suffolk is the most easterly town in England, 28 miles from Norwich. It is also a seaside resort, market town and maritime port with direct rail access to Norwich and also to London via Ipswich.

Michaela Hewitt, Assistant Director East, said: "You will be greeted with support and friendliness by our team who take pride in their work within the community, our work is diverse, and covers beach resorts, towns, several villages and some quite rural areas. Our work at times can be challenging, but more importantly it is rewarding to see the changes we can make to a person’s wellbeing and quality of life. This is often achieved by working together with the supportive networking within our communities. We are a strong, resilient, dedicated team, who care about the people we support. We are a friendly, supportive, professional dynamic and proactive team with a diverse experienced skill set, who pull together and offer good learning opportunities."

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/or HCPC as a practising Social Worker/Occupational Therapist.

For an informal discussion regarding this vacancy, please contact Team Manager - Learning disabilities East, Kelly Mann, phone 01493 448364 or Practice Consultant- Tim Sims on 01493 448400

Interviews to take place w/c 20/02/2024

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.

Closing date: 15 February 2024 at 23:59

About Us

We have miles of beautiful coastline and our unique Broads, thriving market towns and a city with a proud cultural heritage.  Our economy is growing and driven by innovation in a number of sectors, including energy and food.  We also have ambitious plans for new housing and a building programme for schools across Norfolk.  Our county a great place to live, work and visit, and is an excellent environment for businesses to start, grow and innovate.

We are the main local authority for Norfolk providing services countywide to more than 850,000 Norfolk residents. We take the lead in critical policy areas, working with 84 elected Members responsible for the strategic local government services in the county.
We provide a high quality service through involving people who use our services to shape and comment on them and by promoting efficiency and innovation.
We work in partnership with local businesses, voluntary organisations and other local authorities such as District and Parish Councils to provide the people of Norfolk with excellent services.