Senior Social Worker - Worthing Community Team

About Us

West Sussex County Council is a diverse and inclusive organisation serving more than 850,000 residents. If you're wondering why you should join us, it's because we offer a truly supportive culture-one that's second to none. Our employees are genuinely valued and respected, and we place a strong emphasis on work-life balance.

Our Adults' Community Teams offer an exciting and rewarding area of practice, giving social workers the opportunity to make a real difference in people's lives. We work with adults aged 18 and over who have cognitive and/or physical disabilities, with a particular focus on older people.

We're proud to embed a strengths-based approach in our practice-supporting individuals to explore their networks, maximise independence, and access local community resources. We also maintain strong partnerships with health colleagues through proactive care initiatives, including regular multidisciplinary meetings at local GP surgeries.

Our community teams play a central role in fulfilling the statutory duties of Adults' Services. A solid understanding of the Care Act 2014 is key, and our practitioners are skilled in safeguarding enquiries, person-centred assessments, and multi-agency working.

"I love being a part of a supportive and friendly team and the close connections I have with my colleagues."
- Senior Social Work Practitioner

About The Job

Salary: £44,075 to £47,181 per annum
Working Pattern: Full time, 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Worthing
Interview Date: w/c 6th October

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Social Worker to join our Worthing Community Team. This is a permanent, full-time role offering variety, supervision support, and the chance to work within a genuinely collaborative team.

As a Senior Social Worker, you'll manage a complex caseload collaborating with people and family or friend carers, undertake strengths-based assessments and reviews, identifying
eligible needs and personalised outcomes.

The Worthing Community team foster a really supportive environment to apply your social work skills to develop and implement support plans, aimed at improving wellbeing and delivering
outcomes, including utilising community assets, and ensuring that eligible needs are met. As a Senior Social Worker you will be supporting less experienced colleagues to apply learning to
further develop their capability, and professional confidence. You will be supported with professional supervision and a workload that is appropriate to your level of professional development.

You will work effectively in partnership with other staff and voluntary agencies and have an excellent understanding of all the relevant health, voluntary and private services in the area. You will remain up-to-date and compliant with all relevant legislation and adhere to organisational procedures, policies, and codes

What you'll need to succeed

• You will be a confident and empathetic communicator-capable of managing expectations, delivering difficult messages sensitively, and finding alternative solutions in line with our approach.
• You'll need a strong working knowledge of the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and experience in applying these in practice.
• You should also bring a commitment to the strengths-based model

Experience and Skills

Please ensure you cover how you meet the following qualifications and experience within your application:
Key Skills

• Experience of working proactively as a member of the team to make an accurate strengths-based assessment of needs in complex situations and negotiate and implement effective plans and outcomes (in line with relevant legislation).
• 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.
• Experience of managing situations with complex and competing risks, utilising a risk enablement approach and using evidence-based practice.
• Experience of analysis and interpretation of complex people related information and data to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision.
• Experience of leading on safeguarding enquiries.
• Ability to provide supervision and develop the capabilities of less experienced social care practitioners including contributing to performance management. Mentor and coach students and apprentices.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a range of stakeholders to provide clear advice and guidance and interventions.
• Ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, and to seek appropriate support, advice, and supervision, and to prioritise and organise work and meet agreed performance expectations

Sound and accurate IT skills to ensure effective record keeping, compliant with data protection and respecting confidentiality.

Qualifications and/or experience:

• A Degree in Social Work or a recognised equivalent Social Work qualification e.g., Diploma in Social Work.
• Registered with Social Work England
• Valid, full driving licence. Desirable

Further Information

For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to Social Work England registration, 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.