Advanced Practitioner - North Locality Team (Adults)

Overview

Come join the fantastic North Locality Team! We are a vibrant community team based in Midshires Offices right in the heart of Aylesbury. In addition to the salary advertised, you will receive a market premium of £2,525 per annum, you will also receive a ‘Golden Hello’ lump-sum payment of £2500 paid on successful completion of your probationary period.

Despite the challenges that Adult Social Care has faced within the last few years, our approach in Buckinghamshire has remained focused on promoting clients independence and provide support for those who require it. Buckinghamshire Council is a dynamic one, where you will be challenged as well as a place you will be supported to expand your skills and experience.

Buckinghamshire practice with a strong emphasis on a strength-based practice approach, ‘Better Lives’, has been improving outcomes linked to independence, developing social connections, and improving areas that are important to the residents we support.

We have created more roles in Social Work and Occupational Therapy; we are adapting to work much more closely with the community and support people near to where they live; we have developed a new career progression framework to encourage staff ambition and development; finally, to establish the conditions to deliver outstanding practice.

We are now looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey.

About us

Why join us?

We are lucky to have really good transport links including easy access to the A41, M25 and M40 and with various train stations in and around Aylesbury, we are commutable from various locations.

We invest in staff wellbeing

We understand that you can’t give what you don’t have so we focus on staff wellbeing to enable employees to support the most vulnerable communities. To achieve this we have weekly ‘catch ups’ as a Team and stay in close communication with one another. We also have great links to our community teams and developing team building days. In addition we promote open and inclusive communication.

Robust induction

We have innovative approach to induction whereupon you will be provided with a buddy and provided with a schedule of shadowing opportunities already booked into your calendar to help you settle in to your role from the first day on the job.

Realistic expectations

You can expect a manageable caseload of up to 25 active cases, a number of named worker cases and supportive approachable managers to guide you. You are never alone! You can expect a mixture of Review, Care Act Assessments, Safeguarding Investigations, Duty and other tasks. We have a robust duty rota devised with staff to give you maximum time on your caseload. You will be provided the opportunity to develop, shadowing more experienced staff in courtwork and other areas of interest.

Staff Benefits

You will get free parking and an essential car user allowance. We will also cover the cost of your annual Social Work England registration. 

The wellbeing of our colleagues is very important to us and we encourage you to take control of your work-life balance and adopt a flexible approach where possible. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements.

We value and invest in you

We provide a range of internal and external training courses and free access to resources with a council log in. We have a clear career progression pathway to give you opportunities to grow and flourish.

About the role

To ensure the highest standards of service are provided to the residents of Buckinghamshire, Advanced Practitioners will ensure:

• Work in accordance with the Better Lives framework
• Promote and deliver goal-based support people to achieve greater independence
• Promote equality as an integral part of a role and treat everyone with fairness and dignity
• Provide a proactive personalised approach to the delivery of care and practice
• Respond to people’s needs in a timely manner
• Focus on improving people’s well-being
• Give people greater choice and control over the care that they receive
• Take account of people’s risks and safety at all times, identifying mitigations to reduce that risk
• Support people to achieve the outcomes that are most important to them using all available resources and taking responsibility for the public purse
• Supervise staff
• Hold a caseload of complex cases
• Competent in completing Safeguarding Investigations and Court work
• Provide personalised information and advice, safeguarding, assessment, support planning and review to individuals/families and their carers

Mobile:

A ‘mobile’ role gives you the flexibility to schedule your own diary, so you can meet with colleagues and clients in a variety of locations. You’ll access digital folders and resources on your laptop and be able to use the network wherever you are based. Working from home will be common, as well as meeting your team in the office where necessary.

About you

You must be a qualified Social Worker (holding a social work degree or equivalent) and be registered with Social Work England. In addition, a full driving licence with access to a vehicle is an essential requirement for this role.

Naturally, you’ll be a great people person, familiar with working to a strength-based approach. Thinking outside the box, you’ll support your clients and help prevent, reduce or delay the need for care. Bringing your in-depth knowledge of the latest legislation and statutory guidance, you’ll work independently and with colleagues to support adults and their families. Persistence and an adaptable approach are needed in an outcome-focused way with partners such as health services, community sector, housing, care providers and other stakeholders.

If you'd like to hear from some of our current social workers and social care staff, take a look at our careers social media pages Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram

We welcome individuals looking to return to social work and offer a return to social work programme assessment and support process. Should this be something of interest to you please contact the Learning and Wellbeing Hub via email at [email protected] to arrange an informal chat or to find out more information.

Other information

If you have any questions or would like to hear more about these exciting roles, please contact Fiona Woods, Team Manager at [email protected] or Emma Dunkley, Team Manager at [email protected]

As a service, we’re proud of the way we have adapted as we make our way through the COVID-19 pandemic. The safety of our colleagues and residents remains at the forefront of what we do, and we have used technology where it has been appropriate to undertake some functions such as staying in touch with your clients, partners, and colleagues. We want to retain the benefits of working in this way, as well as continuing face-to-face where it is appropriate to do so. As a result of this, we would welcome applications from a wider geographical basis.

You will be required to apply for a DBS at an enhanced level. Further information about the DBS Scheme can be found at GOV.UK

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and convictions cautions
• All adult cautions and spent convictions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) guidance or Ministry of Justice (MOJ) guidance (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining us, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

We know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Service Area

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to ensuring that our residents stay as independent as they can, for as long as possible. Everyone has the right to live a fulfilling and nourishing life, and for many people, social care plays a key role in achieving that.

We are looking for dynamic Social Workers who are passionate about enabling clients to fulfil their potential, whilst promoting self-determination, and who are passionate, supportive, motivated, and confident when supporting and communicating with people - either on the telephone or face to face.

Your work will include carrying out needs assessments, creating person-centred and strengths-based care plans, ensuring delivery of services, and reviewing outcomes with the individual, their personal networks, and support providers.

You will work in partnership with other professionals and organisations to support our residents effectively and holistically. Our Social Workers will endorse and act by the principles of personalisation, ensuring that care and support plans are person-centred, and as far as is safely possible, you will put the people with whom you work in control of their lives.

You will also demonstrate emotional resilience and intelligence - which is the ability to maintain focus and to ‘keep going’ despite setbacks and stressful situations, a real desire to enable clients to achieve or maintain their goals of living independently and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment.

So, if you are looking for a new challenge, want to become part of a team that places a premium on listening and learning, and which is determined to make a difference – we want to hear from you!

We recognise and reward you

In these challenging times, we must remain connected as a team. From day one, you’ll be offered a ‘buddy’ who will be a friendly face to support you through your induction and new working world. The wellbeing of our colleagues is very important to us and we encourage you to take control of your work-life balance and adopt a flexible approach where possible.

We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements.

Benefits of working for Buckinghamshire:

• Competitive salary 
• Up to 25 days’ annual leave (plus bank holidays) rising to 30 days (plus bank holidays) after more than 5 years’ service
• An attractive Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
• Relocation allowance up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
• New Car Lease Scheme
• Development opportunities in key areas of specific lead roles, giving you the opportunity to learn new skills and to develop your practice
• Travel discounts with Arriva
• Access to our corporate health and wellbeing services offering free confidential advice on a wide range of issues
• Discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops, discounted gym memberships and much more: https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/