Social Worker - CarePoint 2 team

About Us

West Sussex County Council is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents every day. This is a great opportunity to join us as a Social Worker in our friendly CarePoint Team that prides itself on their supportive culture. CarePoint provides a first point of contact for customers requiring a needs assessment under the Care Act 2014. It also provides an access and triage point for referrals from the police.

The aim of Adult Care Point 2 - Initial Contact (ACP2) is to meet need at the earliest opportunity in a person's journey. As part of a multi-disciplinary team that supports, prevents, reduces and delays the need for long term services, you will provide specialist advice to social care professionals and social workers within the ACP2 team.

We provide a working environment that values professional supervision and support. This provides our workforce with what they need to deliver the best possible outcomes for our residents. We work to ensure that innovation and evidence-based practice underpins what we do and that we maintain an environment within which our social workers can develop and progress in their careers. If you have the talent and ambition to achieve the best for the people we serve, then we will support you to progress and develop throughout your social work career.

In this fast-paced position, you will

✅ Manage a varied and complex caseload, supporting individuals and their families/carers

✅ Lead on best practices, professional standards, and service improvements

✅ Develop, mentor, and support registered and unregistered social care practitioners

✅ Play a key role in delivering high-quality socail work services

✅ Work collaboratively with health, housing, education, statutory, voluntary, and independent agencies

About The Job

Salary

£39,862 to £42,839 per annum

Working Pattern

Full time, 37 hours per week

Contract Type

Permanent

Location

Horsham office base, countywide travel required

As a Social Worker within a busy CarePoint 2 team, you will be responsible for achieving positive change and improved outcomes. You will have a varied, complex caseload, and provide an accountable social care service to those people who access or need the service. You will be undertaking high quality assessments and reviews including mental capacity act assessments, responding to safeguarding enquiries, and working as part of a team. You will be expected to work within organisational, policy and legislative requirements.

You will have the opportunity to apply your social work skills, experience and values to the work that you do in supporting young people, their support networks and your team.

This is an excellent opportunity to make a significant difference to our service users lives, although challenging the rewards by far outweigh those challenges as you will always strive for a positive outcome. No two days will look the same; you'll be working in at various locations in and aorund Horsham with numerous colleagues and customers from all walks of life. You will need to take an organised approach whilst exercising your expertise with knowledge of policies and legislations to support those in need.

Experience and Skills

Key Skills, qualifications and/or experience (these are the short listing criteria so please cover within your application with examples):

• Experience of working proactively as a member of the team to make an accurate strengths-based assessment of needs and negotiate and implement effective plans and outcomes (in line with relevant legislation), working in partnership with carers, colleagues and a variety of external agencies to meet people's outcomes.
• Experience of applying a risk enablement approach and using evidence-based practice.
• Experience of analysis and interpretation of people related information and data to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision.
• Experience of contributing to or undertaking safeguarding enquiries.

Ability to provide informal supervision and develop the capabilities of less experienced social care practitioners, and to mentor and coach students and apprentices.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a range of stakeholders to provide clear advice and guidance and interventions.
• Ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, know when to seek appropriate support, advice and supervision, and to prioritise and organise work and meet agreed performance expectations.
• Sound and accurate IT skills to ensure effective record keeping, compliant with data protection and respecting confidentiality.
• A Degree in Social Work or a recognised equivalent Social Work qualification
• Registered with Social Work England
• Experience of undertaking assessments and social work intervention planning, implementation and review by means of creative and pragmatic solutions.
• Experience of working in partnership with those who access the service and maintaining a focus on the needs and strengths of the people, and the outcomes they want to achieve, whilst handling conflict and disagreement.
• Experience of managing risk within a risk enablement approach
• Good, up-to-date working knowledge of relevant legislation e.g., Care Act (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005) etc.
• Valid, full driving licence. Desirable

Rewards and Benefits

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration, an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.

For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran's Guaranteed Interview Scheme (if you meet the essential criteria), this can be found on our application help page.