Senior Social Worker/Occupational Therapist (Service Improvement Team)

About the role

Senior Social Worker/Occupational Therapist (Service Improvement Team)

Fixed Term, Full Time

£43,477 to £52,302 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Closing Date: 24th September 2023

Please note this is a fixed term/secondment opportunity for a period of 12 months.

As a Senior Social Worker / Senior Occupational Therapist on the Service Improvement Team, you provide support to the Adult Leadership Team across ASC to ensure teams are ready for our new quality assurance duties and will lead on service wide initiatives. You will be a champion for best practice and an advocate for change. You will work collaboratively using a strength-based approach with teams across Adult Social Care to deliver quality improvement and assurance activity in readiness for the CQC inspection.

The Opportunity

ECC Adult Social Care, through effective practice, is moving towards a transformational shift from a focus on long-term care support, to a model with four key principles: - prevention; early intervention; enablement and safeguarding.

This will enable people, their families and carers to access information and tools, live healthily and independently and for our function an opportunity to respond pro-actively to growing service demand in a sustainable way, within the financial constraints of the Council.

Senior social workers are passionate in demonstrating expert and effective practice ability in complex situations. Managing a caseload and supporting colleagues with complex cases, with an ability to mitigate high levels of risk. Working collaboratively with statutory and non-statutory/voluntary agencies ensuring a joined up approach.

Significant experience of social work or occupational therapy, modelling good practice and providing expert advice and guidance is essential in this role.

In summary you will:

Work within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached in line with legislative and organisational standards within the Care Act 2015 (e.g MCA/DoLS/CHC assessments etc).
Provide a source of specialist advice and professional expertise that will contribute to the development of practice standards.
Contribute or lead on projects, maintaining accurate and timely data reports and presentations as required.
Participate in a range of focus groups, meetings, conferences and pro-actively taking a lead when a social care perspective is required.
Evaluate performance and evidence outcome measurements or indicators and use these to inform future direction and ensure compliance with policies and all external and internal regulation linking with ASC services.
Develop an evidence base of insight gained from lived experience and coproduction activities across Adult Social Care and produce regular reports with the insight gained as and when required.
Build strong effective working relationships across the Council, with partners and members of voluntary agencies.
Contribute to the delivery of high-level expertise in particular areas of practice and lead on those areas, contributing to the development of a lean and agile system that is responsive to the needs of the people in receipt of services.

About you

Educated to degree level (i.e. Diploma or degree in social work, CQSW, CSS) or equivalent.
Evidence continuing professional development and demonstrable capability of practice in accordance with current professional standards eg professional capability framework, knowledge and skills statement. Current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or Social Work England (SWE)
Have significant experience of social work / occupational therapy, demonstrating a comprehensive, up to date understanding of all relevant legislation, regulations, guidance and how to generate the conditions of success and culture in line with the Essex approach to social care.
Experience of leading change in a complex environment, and ensuring the organisation delivers best practice within financial constraints.
Effective communicator with ability to build good relationships with a range of colleagues and stakeholders; assertive in communications with the ability to persuade, influence and negotiate effectively
Uses initiative and judgement and decision-making skills in providing quality assurance to the work undertaken for customers.
Have proven ability to work flexibly, be proactive and able to adapt to changing circumstances.
Evidence of working within a fast-paced team
Experience of chairing meetings or focus groups involving clients, family members and/or carers and other multi-agency professionals.
Developing strong relationships with partners, other agencies and the local community to achieve joint objectives and offer a supportive framework for children and vulnerable adults.
Understanding of the financial implications to Social Care

To read more about us please visit: Adult Social Care

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

If you are interested in finding out more about this role, we would love to hear from you. Please apply via the Working for Essex website.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here .

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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