Social Work Assistant

Job summary

Principles:

-Prevent reliance on commissioned services, formal interventions, and delaying the need for long-term care
-Reducing and delaying the need for hospital admission, reduce readmission
-Reduce length of stay, or duration in receipt of Trust care/services
-Identifying opportunities to regain or achieve maximum independence and quality of life in their communities
-Prevent deterioration
-Timely access to resources and support
-Proactive approaches, responding to social determinants
-Recovery focused, personalised care, maintaining independence
-Redirect and divert to appropriate pathways through gatekeeping

Main duties of the job

-Delivering improved patient outcomes:
-Person-centred, strengths asset based
-Driven by choice, dignity and respect
-Involved in planning care and support
-Enable improved choice and control over how care and support needs are met
-Increase understanding of and links with community and local organisations
-Support better use of facilities across a range of statutory and independent services and so greater choice
-Support increased independence.
-Enable a faster and better quality service with continuity

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Social Work Enhanced Case Coordination approach (Strengths-Based/Brokerage): Working in partnership with people who access care and support, their carers and family, to advise and share with them how they might best meet their wellbeing need, more choice and control over their life, supporting people to maximise their own strengths and assets. A collaborative consistent approach to working at the interface of social care, health and VCSFE. Requiring specific skills and knowledge held by social work to carry out these functions:

-Building Relationships and Communication
-Assessing Needs and Developing Plans
-Connecting with Resources and Serviced
-Collaboration and Multi Agency/Disciplinary Work
-Advocacy and Empowerment
-Reviewing/Monitoring Needs

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential
-A recognised qualification in health & social care at level 3
-Currently working towards a relevant qualification at level 4 or have equivalent experience

Knowledge/ Experience

Essential
-Experience of working in a social care setting or equivalent demonstrable experience gained in a health setting
-Experience of working as part of a multi - disciplinary team
-Non judgemental attitude / approach
-Understanding of the role and function of Social Work
-Basic knowledge of the main care and protection legislation pertaining to adults
-Knowledge of relevant Social Work legislation
-Knowledge of social care, health promotion and physical / psychological health care needs of service users
-Knowledge of developing meaningful activities in a care setting

Desirable
-Experience of working in urgent care or to a hospital avoidance model
-Evidence of knowledge and skills will be gathered from Application form, Interview, References

Values

Essential
-Continuous Improvement
-Accountability
-Respectfulness
-Enthusiasm
-Support
-High professional standards
-Responsive to service users
-Engaging leadership style
-Strong customer service belief
-Transparency and honesty
-Discreet
-Change oriented

Skills

Essential
-Ability to maintain confidentiality
-Ability to work on own initiative and assist qualified practitioners
-Ability to work as a member of the team
-Postholder will be confident, articulate and have an enthusiastic and positive outlook
-They will be well motivated with a commitment to Social Work Services Committed to work as part of a team and with other teams, disciplines or services
-Committed to personal learning and development
-Essential to promote anti-discriminatory practice and social work values in all activities
-Ability to use own initiative appropriately and demonstrate innovative thinking
-Resilience and ability to manage competing demands