Extra Care Officer

About Us

West Sussex County Council is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents every day. As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

You may be wondering what is extra care housing at West Sussex - 'The ability to live with independence but with the care and support I need outside my front door'.

Extra Care is an exciting area to work in, offering the opportunity to develop skills across housing, commissioning, and working alongside care providers. Our focus is on promoting independence for as long as possible for the people we support. Operationally, this role allows you to apply core skills in assessments within a busy and supportive social work team. With a clear vision for Extra Care in West Sussex and new schemes currently in development, this is a chance to be part of a team shaping services to meet the needs of our customers.

Hear about the role from the Extra Care Officers in our team:

"I love working in the Extra care team, it is a warm, friendly team of people who always go the extra mile to support one another. The work is incredibly varied and we get to work with some amazing customers, landlords and care managers. We have some phenomenal success stories in Extra care and everyone on the team is passionate about growing the service for the future". Katie, Extra Care Officer

"Working in Extra Care is incredibly rewarding because it allows me to support residents' independence and dignity within a diverse community. Our manager plays to our strengths, maintains an open-door policy, and gives us the space to think independently while offering support when needed." Sami, Extra Care Officer

About The Job

Salary: £26,430 to £28,712 per annum
Working pattern: 30 hours per week
Contract type: Permanent
Locations: Office base in Worthing and hybrid working*

Interview Date: 23rd October

Our Extra Care Officers play a vital role within our dynamic Adult Services operational team. You'll oversee the day-to-day running of Extra Care Schemes, working closely with stakeholders to ensure schemes are fully occupied and delivering high-quality services.

In this role, you'll build strong professional relationships with housing and care provider colleagues, so excellent communication and relationship management skills are essential.

This is a varied and rewarding position, supporting individuals to increase their independence. While the role is demanding, you'll be part of a high-performing team with a strong support structure to help you settle in and thrive.

Key Requirements:

• Ability to travel independently across the county. Some sites may be difficult to access via public transport, so being a car driver is highly desirable.
• Occasional manual handling may be required (e.g., moving furniture).
• You may encounter customers who are distressed, abusive, or aggressive, so resilience and professionalism are important.

About You:

• Previous experience in Adult Social Care, with a solid understanding of relevant policies, procedures, and legislation.
• A team player with a customer-focused approach.
• Able to work under scrutiny and respond positively to challenges.
• Strong interpersonal and negotiation skills, with the ability to inspire, and support individuals, teams, and stakeholders.
• Confident in challenging existing practices and identifying innovative solutions.

Working Arrangements: This role offers hybrid working. You'll join your team in the office once a month, with the flexibility to work from home or the office based on your commitments for the rest of the month.

For those applicants interested in sponsorship the soc code for this role is 2469.

Experience and Skills

Key Skills :

1. Ability to make sound pragmatic problem solving decisions, which will have a wider service impact and could be business critical, including the ability to tackle difficult problems of a technical, professional, resource or people related nature using existing policies, procedures and knowledge to devise approaches.
2. Ability to complete social care assessments / reviews in line with the Care Act and other legislation to ensure individual customer's needs are met.
3. Highly developed communication skills to persuade, negotiate or influence within or outside the organisation to achieve challenging / sensitive objectives and ensure implementation of solutions.
4. Ability to analyse information and data, and complete written reports that will demonstrate the effectiveness of the services.
5. Ability to challenge existing practices and identify innovative solutions, setting timescales and objectives, and reviewing effectiveness of service delivery.
6. Ability to work in a multi-agency working environment that has contributed to improvements to individuals and or services.

Qualifications and/or experience:
* GSCE English and Maths, or equivalent qualification or experience demonstrating that level of literacy and numeracy.
* Experience of working within the statutory requirements of Adult Social Care, for example as an Assistant Care Manager, Occupational Therapist, care provider or health provider, with experience of working in a hands-on role providing support to, and working with, people in a social care environment.
* Up to date knowledge and experience of assessments and reviews processes, policies and legislation.
* Good working knowledge of District and Borough housing sector - Desirable
* Good working knowledge of financial eligibility for statutory services and benefits.
* Knowledge of a variety of associated legislation, for example Care Act, Mental Capacity, safeguarding, housing regulations, tenancy law.
* Experience of forming effective working relationships within a multi-agency setting.

Further Information

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.