Social Care Practitioner - 04369

Are you an enthusiastic, motivated Social Care Practitioner looking to develop your skills, promote integration and independence?

West Berkshire Council has a rare opportunity for a full-time Social Care Practitioner to join our friendly and supportive team. We are a small Local Authority with a mixture of urban and rural communities which offers great variety and positive challenges. West Berkshire Council is embracing a new way of working with a strong focus on localities and a strengths based approach towards the people that we work with.

The Role

As a Social Care Practitioner in the Joint Care Pathway / Maximising Independence Team you will be required to support in the safe discharges of patients from hospital through the Joint Care Pathway and assess or review for eligibility of long term support in accordance with the Care Act.

You will work alongside colleagues to support vulnerable individuals who are unable to make decisions in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act. You will promote the rights of individuals and may be involved in safeguarding those who are at risk of abuse by working with the Safeguarding Team and jointly completing S42 enquiries.

You will work closely with your colleagues who include Social Workers and Occupational Therapists. You will also work alongside health colleagues through the integrated health and social care pathway for hospital discharges and hospital avoidance.

A key role for the Social Care Practitioner in this team is to support in the link worker role in one of the hospitals in the area, which include Basingstoke, Swindon, Reading and West Berks Community Hospital. Dedicated teams of workers are deployed in these hospitals to build relations and links to ensure the smooth transition for the patient from hospital to home, or into a care home.

The team operates a duty desk which is covered by a member of staff on a daily basis. We also have a Social Worker on duty each day to offer support in any duty tasks that come into the team. You will be rota’d onto this duty work alongside colleagues each month.

To excel in this role, you should have:

• A relevant professional qualification in social work or social care
• Experience in a similar role within an adult social care setting
• Sound knowledge of relevant legislation, policies, and procedures
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team
  
  

Why work for West Berkshire Council?

Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities

• Generous Local Government pension scheme
• Family friendly policies
• A range of local discounts
• Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and employee benefits
• You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days per annum (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years’ service.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Join us at West Berkshire Council and make a positive impact in our community while advancing your career. Explore everything that a career with West Berkshire Council has to offer here: Working with Us

To learn more about the role, please contact Elisabete Santos or Mel Sturgess on 01635 503173 or email Elisabete.santos@westberks.gov.uk or Melanie.Sturgess1@westberks.gov.uk for an informal discussion.

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

How to apply

Please now complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV.

This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies.

This role involves regulated activity with adults at risk. As such, appointment is subject to an Enhanced DBS check with the relevant Barred List(s).

In this post you will be required to maintain continuous registration with the DBS Update Service for the duration of your employment.

This privacy notice applies to job applicants applying for vacancies with West Berkshire Council https://info.westberks.gov.uk/pnapplications

AI in Applications

We recognise that candidates may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the preparation of their job applications. When used appropriately, AI can be a helpful aid in structuring responses, checking clarity, and improving presentation.

However, applications must reflect your own skills, experience and understanding. If an application appears to rely excessively on AI-generated content, it may not meet the required standard and could be rejected.

We encourage all applicants to ensure their submissions are authentic, tailored to the role, and clearly demonstrate their own knowledge, experience and suitability