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Social Care Practitioner

City of Westminster Council -
Westminster

Job details

Permanent
£42,912 - £44,235 a year

Qualifications

Full job description

About Us:

THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF THE POWER OF CREATIVE THERAPY

Adult Social Care in Westminster City Council is a world of extraordinary stories, where our passionate, caring and committed professionals do brilliant work every day.

Mr J’s mental health had declined in which he was admitted to hospital. While he was being looked after we grew concerned about his personal care and lack of routine, and quickly realised that he needed social care support, to support his independence and help prepare him for a successful return to the community he loved.

He was assigned to Ms T, one of our experienced Mental Health Social Workers, who took a strengths-based, person-centred approach to his recovery. From their very first meetings, she built a strong rapport with Mr J and discovered he had a real passion for painting. She encouraged his creativity by providing art supplies and linking him with art therapy, helping him use his imagination and love of colour to manage his emotions and rediscover a genuine sense of purpose and fulfilment.

Working together, Ms T and Mr J developed a personalised plan for his discharge. This included re-establishing daily routines, building support networks, and engaging with a range of creative outlets. And so he could receive support and encouragement when he was back home, she also helped to connect him with a number of local art and mental health groups.

By the time he left hospital, Mr J felt much more positive, confident and hopeful about the future. His journey illustrates how our amazing Social Workers transform lives for the better, and focusing on a person’s creativity, strengths and connection to their community can make a world of difference to their mental health

The Role:

As a Social Care Practitioner, you too can make a powerful contribution. You’ll be joining the Joint Homelessness Team (JHT), a specialist community mental health service dedicated to supporting rough sleepers across Westminster. We strive to enable individuals to sustain their independence and achieve positive outcomes. You’ll promote recovery, stability and improved quality of life for some of our most vulnerable residents.

The JHT is a multi-disciplinary service comprising social workers, nurses, doctors, and administrative staff. By bringing together a broad range of professional expertise, we can deliver holistic and coordinated support to individuals with complex needs, such as mental health conditions and an entrenched history of rough sleeping. We are further strengthened by connections to our wide network of partner organisations.

This role requires a flexible, creative and solution-focused approach. You’ll have a strong commitment to building trust and creating person-centred interventions for disadvantaged people. You will perform statutory duties of a Social Care Professional under the Care Act, Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act. This will include helping people make a self-assessment of their needs and arranging support so that they can reach their hoped-for outcomes – such as remaining within their own home or returning there after a hospital admission. You’ll offer them excellent, informative advice and link them to community resources well-positioned to help them.

We place residents at the heart of everything we do, ensuring that our decisions are guided by their needs and aspirations. At the same time, we invest in our staff by providing strong support for personal and professional development. Through coaching, mentoring, and continuous learning opportunities, we nurture talent and empower our people to be their best. Every contribution is valued here.

Please refer to the Job Description for more information.

About You:

We’re looking for someone experienced at working with adult service users with physical or mental health problems. You’ve supported people from diverse and ethnic groups, and you’re familiar with the various levels of disadvantage that may impact these communities. Treating service users with respect and dignity matters greatly to you. You strive to be helpful and approachable.

You can confidently identify needs and urgent support requirements, working with service users, carers and hospital professionals to determine them. This is matched with a strong grasp of resource management, including when dealing with finite finances and eligibility criteria.

It’s important that you’re familiar with relevant legislations and how to apply them. You’re clear on Performance Assessment Framework for Social Services and its impact on service delivery.

You can organise your own workload and meet deadlines, even under pressure. This includes setting, agreeing and delivering on objectives.

Clear communication is key to this role – whether that’s with service users, carers or other professionals. You can build effective working relationships too.

Learning is critical to how we work. You’ll be willing to undertake training and adapt to new methods. Plus, you’ll keep an eye on new developments and practice issues.

To be eligible, you’ll have NVQ Level 3 and/or 4 or equivalent in Health and Social Care/Promoting Independence. Paired with a good level of literacy and the ability to conceptualise.

Westminster City Council is committed to supporting Care Leavers into the workplace. Care Leavers seeking their first job and who wish to be considered under our scheme, will automatically be invited to interview should they meet the essential criteria for the role.

What We Offer:

Westminster is an amazing place. We are home to more than 200,000 residents from all backgrounds, over 50,000 vibrant and vital businesses and three-quarters-of-a-million people work in Westminster. Westminster City Council’s strategy is to work towards a Fairer Westminster. A Fairer Westminster is one in which our communities are at the heart of our decision-making and help to determine the city’s future. By working directly with our communities and other partners, we can build a more inclusive city that celebrates our diverse communities, and where residents, workers and visitors from all backgrounds will feel welcome and safe.

At Westminster City Council, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive workplace and employer of choice. We encourage and welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that, at all levels, represents the communities we serve. We champion equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, has a sense of belonging and is empowered to be their best, that is the Westminster Way. To find out more about how we do this visit https://www.westminster.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health-strategy-policies-and-reports/equality-duties

As a forward-thinking Council we appreciate that people work in different ways, therefore our staff benefit from working a range of flexible working patterns as well as Agile working.

The Council is a Disability Confident Employer. If you have declared a disability in your application, we guarantee an interview if you meet the essential criteria of the job. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked if you need any reasonable adjustments in order to attend, and we will make these wherever possible.

We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

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