Social Worker

Derbyshire County Council is ambitious and innovative, offering support to both newly qualified and experienced social workers. We provide a nurturing environment with excellent progression opportunities. Our vision is to inspire and empower children, young people, and their families to be the best they can be.

Purpose of this

• Provide a social work service that supports individuals and communities to achieve their potential.
• Work in partnership with individuals to identify needs and to develop plans and responses which meet those needs.
• Act on behalf of vulnerable individuals to safeguard their health and wellbeing.
• Effectively manage a designated caseload to achieve the best outcomes for individuals, groups and communities.
• Provide leadership and expertise to empower individuals, groups and communities to achieve identified change.
• Build and sustain relationships with individuals and communities.
• Represent the needs of vulnerable people.

Key relationships:

• Individuals Carers/Families External partners/agencies Employees Local people & community groups

Line managed by: Team Manager

Supervises and supports:

Newly Qualified Social Workers and other learners/employees as required.

Key result areas include:

• Work with individuals, their carers and their advocates, where appropriate, in the assessment of individuals needs and the provision of appropriate services/resources.
• Work with individuals to identify the aims and objectives of proposed interventions.
• Produce care plans with individuals and ensure their effective implementation.
• Provide social work with homeless and potentially homeless persons/families.
• Act as a Duty Officer.
• Assist in the inductions of newly qualified social work employees.
• Provide consultation to other social worker staff on a particular specialism.
• Supervise and assess social worker students or trainees.
• Record all work undertaken and prepare reports/assessments.
• Accept responsibility, with the line manager, for reviewing work on caseloads at regular intervals. This would include closure and transfer of cases.
• Ensure that the quality of service provided to and on behalf of individuals meets agreed quality standards.
• Maintain effective contacts with all providers of care and other people responsible for relevant community resources.
• Initiating, where necessary, multi-disciplinary meetings for the co-ordination of complex care arrangements including safeguarding.
• Undertake financial assessment role, where required.
• Seek to ensure income maximisation for people.
• Understand and comply with all County Council policies and relevant legislation in the performance of the duties of the post.

General Responsibilities:

Equality and Diversity

Actively support the Council's Equality and Diversity policy.

Health and Safety

Ensure own compliance with the Council's Health & Safety policy/procedures and that of any resources you have responsibility for.

Risk Management

Identify opportunities and risks associated with the service and escalate/report to management.

Information Security

Comply with the Council's policies on information security including the ICT Security Policy, Internet and Email Policy and Safe Haven Guidance.

Climate Change

Contribute to the Council's corporate responsibility in relation to climate change by considering the environmental impact of individual and collective actions, working to reduce resource and energy use, minimise waste, and anticipate and enhance the efficiency of services in response to a changing climate, wherever possible.