Job Description

How you'll make a difference:
As a Senior Practitioner in an integrated Mental Health Team, you will make a difference by improving the quality of services provided to adults of working age in the community. You will have a pivotal role in ensuring performance and quality standards across the Recovery team are met and delivered to vulnerable adults in our community.
What you will be doing:

• Reporting to the Team Manager within Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP) Trust, you will take a proactive role in day-to-day management of the team including providing advice and support to staff and members of the public.
• You will supervise SWs in line with the Council's supervision policy. In addition, if required, you may undertake student supervision for social work students and assist newly qualified social workers with their ASYE course.
• It will be your responsibility to maintain and promote effective partnerships with relevant agencies including Housing, In-Patient Units, The Courts, Supported Accommodation and Police to achieve best outcomes for service users. This may involve assisting in developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures.
• You will support staff with managing complex cases taking account of levels of risk, safeguarding and issues of mental capacity and DOLS as required. You may also hold a case load to ensure that your skills are current and to enable you to support with the running of the team.
• You will have experience in completing assessments under the Care Act and will support both health and social care colleagues in the completion of these assessments to ensure compliance with this legislation. Part of the role may require you to prepare social circumstances reports for the Mental Health Review tribunal and attend tribunal hearings.
• It will be key that you ensure effective prioritisation and allocation of work including managing waiting lists.

What we need from you:

• It is essential you hold a relevant professional qualification in Social Work and be registered with Social Work England (SWE).
• We require you to have relevant post qualifying experience in a social care setting and experience of dealing with complex cases.
• You'll be able to provide evidence of on-going continuous professional development, knowledge of current legislation and practice relating to social care with the ability to be able to assess and manage risk.
• You must have a detailed understanding of the relevant legal frameworks/legislation in the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, and the Care Act.

What you need to know:

• Ordinarily, we would expect you undertake Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training, including any pre AMHP training requirements, within a reasonable timeframe of employment. On qualification of an AMHP you will be expected to participate on the AMHP rota.
• This is a part-time role, working 22.2 hours per week. Your salary is pro-rata to hours worked.
• This role is hybrid, predominantly you will be required to work in the office or within the community, with occasional days working at home.
• You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so must have a full valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have alternative appropriate means of travel. You will on occasion be required to travel to other parts of the country to complete reviews.
• Business insurance will need to be added to your insurance policy.
• You can claim back mileage expenses.
• Please note that due to the nature of this role, it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained.

Interviews anticipated week commencing 30/6/2025. How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different:

• We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.
• What's special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the people you are working with.
• We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.
• As part of our benefits package you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of
• We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.
We're making a difference, be part of it!
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