Senior Social Worker

Gwynedd Council offers an attractive employment package, for more information please click on this Information Pack

Gwynedd Council operates internally through the medium of Welsh, and offers all its services bilingually. The applicant will be required to reach the linguistic level noted as one of the essential skills in the Person Specification.

We encourage everyone who applies for a job with Gwynedd Council to submit job applications in Welsh or bilingually.

( Applications submitted in English only or Welsh only will always be treated equally, but we ask applicants to consider carefully what the linguistic requirements of the job in question is and if it would be more appropriate to submit an application in Welsh.)

For further information about this post please contact Sharon Wyn Burville on 01286 679099

Interview date to be confirmed.

Application forms and further details available from Support Service, Gwynedd Council, Council Offices, Caernarfon, LL55 1SH

Tel: 01286 679076

E-Mail: Swyddi@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

CLOSING DATE: 10.00 AM ON THE 27/03/2025

The Council will request a Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service for the successful candidate.

If you are successful to be short listed for an interview you will be contacted by E-MAIL using the address provided on your application form. You need to ensure that you check your email regularly.

Adults team Senior Social Worker_min_0.8.pdf

Person Specification

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

ESSENTIAL

Ability to work effectively as a team member and on their own.
A reliable and flexible person who is keen to work in new and creative ways.
Enthusiastic, self-reliant, and assertive.
Supporting anti-discriminatory practices
Communicate effectively with service users, other agencies and providers.
Have strong negotiating skills.
Committed to the values, principles, aims and objectives of the service.
A person keen to learn and develop.
Ability to communicate effectively and create relationships with individuals who are using children and family services.
Creative thinker and effective communicator with the ability to inspire the workforce
Interest and Knowledge of professional development and the ability to teach others.
Honesty, assertiveness, and flexibility.

DESIRABLE
-

QUALIFICATIONS AND RELEVANT TRAINING

ESSENTIAL

Relevant Social Work Qualification in accordance with Framework
Social Care Qualifications Wales
Registered with Care Council Wales as a Social Worker
Confirmation Qualification (First 3 Years Consolidation in Practice) (or equivalent experience)

DESIRABLE

Practice Educator Qualification
AMHP Mental Health Act Recognised Qualification
Benefit Assessor Qualification (BIA)
Management Qualification or commit to completion within 3 years

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL

Experience of Teamwork
Experience of working directly with adults/children/young people and families
Experience in assessing needs and formulating a care plan.
Experience working with other agencies effectively.
Experience dealing with safeguarding cases.
Experience of doing court work
Experience of community care work with adults and their carers.
Experience dealing with complex cases.
Experience of working within different legislations
Mentoring experience within the social work role
Experience managing risks and displaying strong professional judgment

DESIRABLE

Experience in contributing to schemes/projects
Experience in supervising staff

SKILLS AND SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE

ESSENTIAL

Ability to respond quickly and effectively to referrals and prioritise appropriately.
Ability to undertake social assessments and create care plans.
Knowledge of relevant legislation, care management skills, understanding of good social work practices
Ability to use a computerised information system in relation to service needs.
Being able to receive supervision and guidance effectively for the benefit of the Service and personal development.
A diverse skills base based on experience of working with individuals who use services, children, and families.
Court work skills (Children's field job)
Employee mentoring skills in a variety of different areas
Presentation and chairing skills
Good negotiation skills

DESIRABLE
-

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

ESSENTIAL

Listening and Speaking - Higher Level
Able to follow a conversation or discussion through the medium of Welsh and English on a professional level and discuss general day to day topics in the field in order to present information and express opinions. Able to give a pre-prepared presentation and respond to any comments and questions on it in Welsh or English.

Reading and Understanding - Higher Level
Able to understand standard written Welsh and English; both formal and informal. Able to gather information from various sources such as letters, reports, articles through the medium of Welsh and English in order to fulfil the post.

Writing - Higher Level
Present written information confidently by letter, more detailed and technical report formats, and respond to written requests conveying information, ideas and opinion in Welsh and English (help is available to check the work).

The attributes expected of the postholder should be noted. These should be used as assessment criteria for all candidates.

Job Description

Purpose of the Post.

• Ensuring that the people of Gwynedd are central to everything we do.
• Support vulnerable individuals to live their lives in the way they want to live.
• Assess the needs of adults and their carers in accordance with the requirements of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and other relevant legislation and guidance.
• Provide citizens' Information, Advice and Support service to enable them to meet personal objectives.
• Support people to identify solutions, prevent dependency and promote independence.
• Provide information on the supportive resources available in the community, from the third sector, the Council and the Health Board to enable citizens to live as independently as possible and improve their quality of life to the fullest.
• Ensuring that individuals' needs are greeted in accordance with the Council's safeguards and statutory responsibilities

Responsibility for functions . e.g. staff, budgets, equipment

• Budget - Provide advice and practical and appropriate guidance to individuals receiving services and facilitating effective financial management for the service.
• Equipment - Responsible for any equipment including specialist equipment required to undertake the role

Main Duties

• Practice within the relevant legislative frameworks and guidance that underpin the provision of social services in Wales
• Apply the Code of Professional Practice as a registered professional
• Maintain up to date knowledge and maintain own professional development. Support colleagues with their development through mentoring.
• Develop social work practice through supervision and reflection. Support colleagues at different points in their career with ongoing reflection through individual or group reflective practice activity
• Manage and be accountable for your own work
• Work collaboratively within multi-disciplinary and multi organisational teams, networks, and systems. Advising colleagues on complex areas of work.
• Exercise professional judgement and decision making in complex situations.
• Support colleagues at different points in their career to develop confidence around professional judgments.
• Manage complex ethical issues, dilemmas and conflicts in complex situations.
• Support social workers at different stages of their careers with managing more complex issues.
• Prepare and present professional reports and records ensuring information is correct, consistent, and shared safely and appropriately. Support social workers at different stages of their career with developing their report writing and record keeping skills .
• Support people to participate in decision making processes
• Advocate with and on behalf of, individuals, families, carers, groups and communities
• Work collaboratively with people in need of care and support, their carers and other professionals in complex situations , supporting support colleagues with advice and guidance at different stages in their career.
• Undertake strength-based assessments and practice in a way that promotes self-determination, independence and empowerment and support colleagues with advice and guidance at different stages in their career. Support social workers at different points in their career around this area of work.
• Undertake outcome focussed assessment using a 'What Matters 'conversation to identify what is important to that individual, eligible needs and to develop outcome focussed plans that facilitate care and support.
• Prepare, produce, implement, and evaluate plans with individuals, families, carers, groups, communities, and professional colleagues. Support social workers at different points in their career around this area of work.
• Identify, assess and investigate an Adult or Child at risk in accordance with relevant legislation and the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. Support social workers at different points in their careers with developing their skills and decision making around working in safeguarding.
• Be a role model and share good practice , advice and support to enable team colleagues, less experiences social workers to develop their careers. This will include mentoring, co-working on cases and supporting the services quality assurance be auditing and sampling files and practice and advising social worker colleagues on specialist areas of work .
• Motivate, encourage, and empower staff by effectively delegating work and creating an environment of respect and collaboration. Provide direction and feedback to staff by sharing the vision effectively.
• Manage efficient use of resources including staff skills and knowledge.
• Allocate work appropriately. Consider urgency and prioritise in a timely manner.
• Contribute to and lead on projects locally and regionally.
• Contribute to the Workforce planning agenda by coordinating the annual student placement process within the team.

Local Duties

• IAA Duty
• Assessing a citizen's mental capacity in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act
• Arranging Residential//Nursing placements
• Supporting applications for Extra Care Housing
• Schedule and Attend Residential/Nursing reviews
• Clarifying Council's service charging policies
• Be aware of the commissioning regime for adult social care and contribute to shaping it as necessary.
• Contributing to Court Cases/Reports to the coroner
• Work for responding to the complaints regime
• Work related to BIPBC - hospital discharge, CHC cases
• Updating and ensuring data cleanliness
• Attend and contribute at Safeguarding meetings
• Supporting Students on placement
• Attend and contribute at Team Reflective meetings
• Delegate for the Lead Practitioner or Area Leader as needed
• Expectation to occasionally work beyond the boundaries of the work area

Additional Duties

• Responsibility for self-development.
• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety rules in the workplace in accordance with the responsibilities noted in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Council's Health and Safety Policy.
• Operate within the Council's policies in relation to equal opportunities and equality.
• Responsible for managing information in accordance with the Council's information management guidelines. Ensure that personal information is treated in accordance with Data Protection legislation.
• Commitment to reducing the Council's carbon emissions in accordance with the Carbon Management Plan, and to encourage others to act positively towards reducing the Council's Carbon Footprint.
• Undertake any other reasonable duty which corresponds to the salary level and responsibility level of the job.
• Responsibility to report any concern or suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult is being abused.

Special Circumstances . e.g. the need to work unsociable hours, special working arrangements etc.

• Working unsocial hours occasionally as required.
• There will be an expectation for the post holder to be part of any arrangements that are established on a rota basis.

The above indicates an outline of duties only, in order to give an idea of the level of responsibility entailed. This job description is not exhaustive in detail, and job duties may change from time to time without changing its fundamental nature and level of responsibility.