Social Worker

Role Responsibility

Social Worker – Short Term Pathways Team East Kent

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Short-Term Pathways Team in East Kent. 

We are a friendly, dynamic, and supportive team which promotes professional development.

The team works alongside adults who have had a hospital stay or period of short-term care and are now planning for how to meet their future care and support needs. As a team we work collaboratively with health and other partner agencies and focus on promoting a person’s independence. We are proud of the high standard of service we provide to those we work with at their most vulnerable times.

We are looking for motivated professionals who are committed to embrace new ways of working, to help further shape our services. 

As a Social Worker in this team you will be working with people over the age of 18 with a diverse range of care and support needs. You will manage a caseload requiring complex assessment and creative care and support planning and hold registration with Social Work England. 

Through excellent opportunities for training and development, including a comprehensive induction, you will receive the support you need and recognition for your good work.

This post is linked to assessments of individuals who are receiving inpatient care in a Kent Community Health setting, working to a multi-disciplinary approach to care. The post holder will be required to hold a complex person caseload, triaging all people admitted to the community health ward through daily MDT board rounds, to identify those with complex social or discharge needs. They will provide early intervention, working with the person, their families and the MDT to identify risk and agree solutions for timely and safe discharge. They will conduct proportionate, observation-based and holistic care needs assessments for people with more complex needs, establishing the persons abilities, circumstances and support mechanisms to determine the level of resource required to optimise the individual’s independence.

The postholder will ensure that people are empowered and actively participate in the assessment process and ensure that they are at the centre of decision making so that opportunities for choice and control over their support arrangements are optimised. They will ensure enablement is promoted to people with a view to assisting them to regain or increase levels of independence as far as possible.

The postholder will facilitate a person centred, solution focused approach to timely hospital discharge, through listening support, coaching, signposting, and family liaison. 

The post holder will be an expert resource for advocacy, and safeguarding expertise.

The postholder will work in collaboration with the ward Registered Practitioner to enable timely referral for ongoing social care assessment for non-complex people, and those self-funding. 

The postholder will provide support, guidance and teaching other disciplines on aspects of good practice in social care. 

Although this post is based in an East Kent Community Health setting, there is an expectation that the successful applicant may have to travel to various locations in East Kent to undertake Short-Term Pathways work. The ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day is essential. 

Our offer 

• Full induction and comprehensive professional learning and development
• Regular and supportive supervision
• Starting annual leave allowance of 29 days
• Consideration for one-off, market recruitment payment to successful applicants who meet the criteria.

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure application to the Disclosure and Barring service and registration as a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England.

This role is subject to holding a Full UK Driving Licence – The Council is committed to making reasonable adjustments so whilst this job requires the jobholder to drive your application will still be considered if you are unable to drive due to a disability.

This post is considered by KCC to be a customer-facing position. The Council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016) to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English/Welsh sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Contact Details

For further information on this role, please contact:

Mark Mackinnon, Team Manager on 03000 410844

About the Company

Work that works for you and us - let's talk flexibility!

KCC is committed to building a workforce which reflects the diversity of the county's working residents, encouraging applications from people of all ages, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, faiths and those with caring responsibilities, and aspires to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can be themselves at work.

Please note - if you are interested, please apply soon as possible as the closing date for this advert may be earlier than stated should a number of suitably qualified candidates apply.