Senior Adult Social Worker

Salary: £48,226 - £51,356 per annum
Working Pattern: 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Fixed-term until 31/03/2027
Location: Office-based in Glebelands Shoreham

Interview Date: week commencing 27/06/2026

You will need to be able to travel independently around the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport. Pool cars and pool bikes are available.

About the Role

Working for us at West Sussex County Council is all about making a positive difference to the people of West Sussex. An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Changing Futures Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) within the Communities Directorate at West Sussex County Council.

The five-year Changing Futures Sussex Programme was part of a national £91.8m initiative, the Sussex programme launched in 2021, received £6m and via a countywide partnership supported more than 500 people experiencing multiple disadvantage. Independent evaluation shows significant, lasting benefits, including improved wellbeing and reduced risk, reduced pressure on A&E through more preventative, coordinated support, a 60% reduction in early mortality versus national averages for people with similar needs, strengthened trauma informed and reflective practice, clearer data on need, and lived experience embedded in service design.

WSCC will be continuing the Changing Futures service delivery for an interim period until March 2027 whilst plans for a long-term application of service delivery are made.

Day to Day role

You will be working multi-disciplinary team, alongside colleagues in the Communities Directorate, Adult Social Care and third sector providers, bringing together a broad range of multi-disciplinary experience and practice.

As the Senior Practitioner you will hold a small caseload in addition to providing supportive supervision to colleagues. There is a strong emphasis on reflective practice, learning and professional development.

Experience and Skills

Required experience and skills (These will be used as the shortlisting criteria)

Key Skills:

• Ability to work proactively as a member of the team to make an accurate assessment of needs and negotiate and implement effective plans and outcomes, whilst prioritising workload and meeting deadlines.
• Demonstrable evidence of leadership skills when working in partnership with people, carers, colleagues, and a variety of external agencies in complex situations to meet people's outcomes.
• Expertise of managing situations with complex and competing risks, utilising a risk enablement approach, and using evidence-based practice. Solution focussed with the ability to analyse complex situations and provide forward thinking strategies and solutions that consider a variety of possible strength-based solutions, balancing risks, resources and desired outcomes.
• Expertise in leading on safeguarding enquiries.
• Highly developed communication skills to influence in a multi-disciplinary setting and communicate clearly and effectively to explain complicated information to a wide range of people and negotiate and persuade others to adopt a particular course of action that they may not otherwise wish to take.
• Able to model and use social work skills in practice, supervision, mentoring and leadership to develop and maintain an environment in which professionally curiosity, critical reflection and analysis is valued, staff are supported their find own solutions and practice capability is developed.
• Able to employ a range of social work approaches and interventions, based on theory, research evidence and evaluation, linking theory to practice including acting as a subject matter expert in one or more specialist areas of intervention.
• Working autonomously with a highly complex, varied caseload often involving managing high levels of risk, prioritising, and organising own work and work of others to meet agreed performance expectations.
• Able to diagnose, research, analyse and interpret highly complex or technical information to make or support effective and robust judgements; and write reports and implement recommendations. Using evidence gained to inform good practice and maintain a focus on positive outcomes for service users, families, carers and communities. Ability to think creatively, innovatively and laterally and to adapt to changing situations in a measured and flexible manner to tailor the advice.
• Ability to be proactive in maintaining up-to-date knowledge and understanding of changes in legislation and effectively lead and supervise others to enhance and support legally compliant practice.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• Degree in Social Work or a recognised equivalent Social Work qualification e.g. Diploma in Social Work.
• Registered with Social Work England.
• Other recognised post-qualifying awards in Social Work e.g. Practice Educator, Best Interest Assessor (BIA), Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) is desirable but not essential for this role, if you can show demonstrable evidence of continuous professional development at a similar level.
• Experience of undertaking assessments in complex situations and social work intervention planning, implementation, and review by means of creative and pragmatic solutions.
• Extensive experience of working in partnership with those who access the service and maintaining a focus on the needs and strengths of the people, and the outcomes they want to achieve, whilst handling conflict and disagreement.
• Experience of managing risk within a risk enablement approach.
• Excellent, up-to-date working knowledge of relevant legislation e.g. Care Act (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005) etc.
• If already BIA or AMHP qualified practitioners, you will continue to contribute to BIA and AMHP service delivery, such staying on the existing rota.
• Valid, full driving licence - Desirable

Rewards & Benefits

Further information

The reference number for this role is CPP01383.

For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Team Manager. For issues or queries regarding your application please contact .

Internal candidates wishing to apply for this role will be considered for a secondment position. Please can you therefore discuss and agree this with your manager before applying for this position.

How to Apply

Please follow the links below to upload your CV and Cover Letter. In your cover letter please outline your motivations for applying and explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role (please refer to the key skills) ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.

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, Social Work England registration, HCPC registration, satisfactory references, 5 years referencing, health check.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application helppage.