Adult Social Worker

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Service and Team

Sutton Adult Social Care is committed to supporting adults to live as independently, safely and fulfillingly as possible within their communities. We work in partnership with individuals, their families and carers, health services and community organisations to promote wellbeing, choice and control, while ensuring that people receive the right support to meet their needs.

The Sutton Locality Team works with adults with a range of care and support needs, undertaking Care Act assessments and reviews, carers’ assessments, safeguarding enquiries and care planning. We work closely with colleagues across health and social care to promote strengths-based practice, prevent, reduce or delay the need for care and support, and achieve positive outcomes for the people we support.

We are looking for motivated and compassionate Social Workers who are committed to person-centred practice, safeguarding adults, promoting independence and upholding people’s rights. You will join a team that values collaboration, professional development, reflective practice and shared learning. We recognise the importance of working together, supporting one another and maintaining a positive team environment while managing the challenges of frontline adult social care.

This is an opportunity to develop your social work practice, contribute to service improvements and make a meaningful difference to adults and their carers across Sutton. If you are passionate about achieving positive outcomes and delivering high-quality social work, we would welcome your application.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

As a Social Worker in Sutton Locality Team, you will manage a varied caseload and work alongside adults, their families and carers to identify needs, build on strengths and develop practical support plans.

The role will involve:

To support adults to achieve positive outcomes through strengths-based social work, promoting independence, wellbeing, choice and control while safeguarding those at risk.

Completing Care Act assessments, reviews and carers’ assessments, working collaboratively with adults to identify their needs, strengths, personal goals and desired outcomes.

Undertaking safeguarding enquiries and working with partner agencies to assess and manage risks, protect adults from abuse and neglect, and promote their rights and wellbeing.

Developing person-centred care and support plans, exploring options that promote independence and prevent, reduce or delay the need for ongoing support.

Working closely with health professionals, providers, community services and colleagues across Adult Social Care to coordinate support and achieve the best possible outcomes.

Managing competing priorities, maintaining accurate and timely records, contributing to team discussions and reflective practice, and ensuring that your work meets statutory requirements and professional standards.

About you

You will be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England, with a commitment to making a positive difference to the lives of adults and their carers. You will be confident in applying social work values and legislation to everyday practice, with a focus on person-centred, strengths-based and outcome-focused approaches.

You will have the ability to build positive working relationships with adults, families, carers and professionals, including when managing complex situations, competing views or safeguarding concerns. You will be able to assess risk, make sound professional judgements, communicate clearly and maintain accurate records. You should also be organised, adaptable and able to manage a varied caseload while prioritising work effectively.

We value Social Workers who are reflective, open to learning and willing to contribute to a supportive team environment. You should be comfortable working collaboratively, seeking advice when needed and taking responsibility for your professional development.

Essential requirements:

A recognised Social Work qualification.

Current registration with Social Work England.

Knowledge of relevant legislation, including the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and adult safeguarding principles.

Good communication, assessment, recording and organisational skills.

The ability to work effectively with adults, carers and partner agencies, manage risk and prioritise a varied workload.

Desirable:

Experience of working in adult social care, including Care Act assessments, reviews, care planning or safeguarding enquiries.

Experience of multi-agency working and supporting adults with complex needs.

A commitment to continued professional development, reflective practice and improving outcomes for adults and carers.

If you are passionate about strengths-based social work and want to be part of a team that works together to support adults to live as independently and safely as possible, we would love to hear from you.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values.
Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a Disability Confident Leader Employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.