The role
About Southwark:
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.
The role:
The Learning Disabilities Service 25+ supports adults with Learning disability. We are a multi-professional service comprising of Social Workers and Assistant Practitioners.
Within these roles, you will work with persons with care and support needs and other professionals as necessary in order to meet the needs of the Service. This includes the undertaking of assessments, providing ongoing support and proactively working with complex issues, family dynamics, legal issues, crisis, providing information and advice, transferring to another team as required.
The main duties of the role include completing Care Act assessments and devising care and support plans, complex case work, completing reviews, completing Mental Capacity Assessments, Court of Protection work, chairing Best Interests meetings, working with people with complex social needs and making sure that the people of Southwark are receiving the support that meets their needs.
There is also a Safeguarding function within the service, which includes assessing and investigating risk and undertaking Safeguarding Adult Enquiries as required.
We utilise all appropriate resources from Social Care, Health and other voluntary and statutory agencies, assessing the person’s ability to maximise their independence and to provide a robust assessment that measures the amount of ongoing support that is needed.
The role requires the completion of all related administrative functions and to attend case conferences, reviews and represent the Council at Court when this is determined as appropriate.
About You:
The Social Worker role is key in ensuring the welfare and assessed needs of those whom we support are managed in a safe and inclusive way.
We adopt a Strength-based approach to our practice and seek to provide a person centred service. We are looking for resilient practitioners who can manage competing demands and prioritise work effectively. The role requires applicants who are confident decision makers and who can stay calm under pressure.
While in this role you will need to demonstrate commitment and enthusiasm to working closely with those with care and support needs, their families and carers, other professionals and your managers and peers. You should hold a degree in social work, be registered with Social Work England, with evidence of continuing professional development and a strong understanding of the application of Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Court of Protection and Adults Safeguarding.
Essential requirements for the role. Any applicants without these will not be shortlisted:
- A recognised Social Work qualification at degree level.
- Active Social Work England Registration.
- Completion of ASYE Programme (or at least 4 years post qualified experience)
Benefits and more information:
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working and home working options. We offer a competitive salary, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, generous holiday allowance as well as a number of other permanent staff benefits (Eye care scheme/Cycle 2 Work and Cycle Loan/Season ticket loan/oyster card pool/Essential User parking permits/Free swim and gym scheme/Proud to Care Rewards).
You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
Additional details:
Please note a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required at enhanced level.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme:
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
Recruitment timetable
Closing date: 17th September 2023 at 23:59
Interviews and assessments: 27th September 2023
SWC1
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
