Advanced Practitioner

North Yorkshire Council; Northallerton; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in the United Kingdom is seeking an experienced Advanced Practitioner in social work. You will oversee quality assurance and provide support in adult social care, promoting independence and well-being. The role involves mentoring junior staff, managing complex cases, and ensuring compliance with care standards. Candidates should have a degree in social work and relevant experience. This position offers flexible working options, generous leave, and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Flexible working practices

Generous leave entitlement

Development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experience in safeguarding and risk assessment.
• Knowledge of Mental Capacity Act and Best Interest decisions.
• Ability to mentor and coach others.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality assurance and complex casework.
• Support managers in implementing best practices.
• Mentor colleagues for high standards of care.

Skills

Safeguarding expertise

Strong leadership skills

Excellent communication

Problem-solving abilities

Education

Degree in Social Work or related field

Professional registration with Social Work England

Job description

Are you an experienced Social Workerready to take the next step?

This role can also be based inHarrogate, Scarborough, Selby, Northallerton, Malton or Whitby.

Join us as an Advanced Practitionerand help shape the future of adult social care across the community andspecialist teams including Mental Health, Adults and Older Adults.

In this pivotal role, you will:

Leadon quality assurance, safeguarding coordination, and complex casework

Supportmanagers to embed strength-based, relationship-focused practice

Mentorand coach colleagues, driving best practice and performance

Managea small team of Social Care Coordinators and Wellbeing Officers

Were looking for someone who brings:

Expertise in safeguarding, riskassessment, Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and Best Interest decision making

You will provide confident, evidence basedprofessional judgement to support safe and person centred practice.

Main duties of the job

A passion for improving outcomes foradults and carers

Youre driven by making a real differencepromotingindependence, dignity, wellbeing, and positive experiences for the people wesupport.

Strong leadership and practicedevelopment skills

Youll champion high standards, mentor colleagues, and help shape a culture oflearning, reflection, and continuous improvement.

About us

Beat the heart of implementing the Care Act and new Adult Social Care AssuranceFramework

Influencepractice and outcomes across Health & Adult Services

Enjoya supportive, forward-thinking environment

Ready to make a difference? Apply nowand lead the way in delivering high-quality, person-centred social care.

What We Offer

Flexibleworking practices including working from other locations and from home.

Generousleave entitlement

Retail,travel and leisure discounts and salary sacrifice discount schemes through ourEverybody Benefits offer.

Commitmentto staff development and continuous learning

Progressionand career-enhancement opportunities

Accessto modern technologies to aid flexible working practices

Inaddition to in-house occupational health services, preferential rates on aprivate health scheme are available through payroll deductions.

Staffwho use a computer as a regular part of their job are entitled to a free eyetest.

Ready to make a difference? Apply nowand lead the way in delivering high-quality, person-centred social care.

Job responsibilities

In this role you will:

• Work across Health and Adult servicesCommunity Teams.
• Support your line manager and workwith the Practice Development Officers to embed the new approaches to socialwork practice, including, relationship-based practice, trauma informed practiceand strength-based approaches, review and creative support planning.
• Support Leads to assure the quality ofsocial care practice, undertake complex casework and support with the coordinationof safeguarding activity.
• Focus on the quality of practice andperformance using a range established tools and methods such as qualityassurance tools and deep dives
• Work with the Practice DevelopmentOfficers in delivering and developing the Peer Support and specific practicesessions ensuring that practice is compliant with the relevant legislation.
• Champion best social care, social work,occupational therapy practice across Health and Adult Services within aframework of best value.
• Implement a range of quality assurancetools, which consider practice, risk and complexity.
• Support the implementation of the ASYEand NQOT across adult social care within a specific locality.
• Hold a number of portfolios where youwill identify the key practice issues and report to your line manager theimplications for Care and Support.
• Support, coach, and mentor othermembers of staff on social care practice issues within a specific locality.
• Be aware of the key developments insocial care, Social Work, Occupational Therapy practice for example NICEguideline and working with the Practice Development Officers ensure successful implementationof these.
• Support colleagues in a specificlocality to work with adults with care and support needs and carers toco-produce of key elements of assessment, review and support planning acrossmultiple channels for example online and within the electronic clientdatabases.
• Ensure consistent, highquality social work practice in a specific locality with a focus on complexcasework. The post holder will in addition be a named support coach and mentorto less experienced social care, social workers in their specific communityteams.
• Be knowledgeable and have extensive experience in social work practiceincluding expertise in safeguarding, undertaking complex assessment andintervention work with people and their families, a high level of experienceand competence conducting complex risk assessments, Mental Capacity Act workincluding mental capacity assessment, Best Interest Decisions, Moving andhandling legislation and Housing Construction and Regeneration Act, DFG (this listis not exhaustive).
• Support thestrategic and operational direction, delivery and performance in a specificlocality.
• Expected to beflexible to support and respond to the changing needs of the service and attenddifferent parts of the County when needed.
• Ensure a focus andinfluence on relationship based and strength-based approaches to practice,which promotes the best outcomes for people.
• Ensure thatsocial care workers have the appropriate skills, direction and oversight toeffectively assess a person and or their carers needs appropriately, undertakerisk assessments and arrange and deliver intervention services within budgetand in line with clearly defined outcome measures.
• In conjunction withmanagers, will take responsibility for identifying and sharing Best Practiceexamples and contribute to Locality events and HAS Team Brief
• Work proactivelywith teams and social care workers to ensure the voices of people using ourservices are represented in social work practice
• Act as a lead intheir service area for specific areas of practice e.g. dementia, autism,safeguarding and learning disability (this list is not exhaustive).
• Have a pivotalrole in identifying knowledge and skills gaps and working with the Practice DevelopmentOfficers and Training and Learning team to address this.
• Advanced Practitioners will carry outcomplex case work as directed by their manager.

Operational Management

• Directly line manage a small group ofsocial care coordinators and wellbeing Occupational Therapy Assistants.
• Work with specific teams within thescope of the line manager in ensuring that practice is compliant with relevantlegislation, is safe and of good quality.
• Develop staff awareness and practicein respect of performance and quality
• Ensure the compliance of designatedoperational teams with various performance requirements.
• In conjunction with leads to undertakequality monitoring of adult social care, social work, Occupational therapypractice through the review of assessment and support planning in accordance withtimescales and other quality standards agreed in local procedures alongsideother procedures.
• Ensure that support planning reflectsthe personal, familial and community assets or strengths of the adult with careand support needs or carer and that the principles of best value areconsistently applied.
• Ensure that practice and supportplanning meet the desired outcomes for people and that their views and opinionsare reflected in social work practice and recording.
• Ensure that the national eligibilitycriteria are consistently applied, with a clear rationale for the decisionbeing made and that due consideration is given to the wellbeing principle.
• Report to line manager any areas ofconcern around practice, performance or concordance with legislativerequirements.
• Ensure the Practice DevelopmentOfficers are aware of any issues and assist in developing, implementing andmanaging improvements in practice within Adult Social Care Community teams andtheir interfaces with other professionals in relevant agencies.
• Ensure teams have processes in placeto support the Performance framework and highlight
• interventions and trends in socialcare, social work, Occupational therapy practice within theirspecific locality
• Lead on a program of audit and reviewof activities across the Directorate which identifyimprovements in performance and leadto better service standards
• Report to the leads any issues ofparticular risk to adults with care and support needs or care or services whichmight attract attention from Members or the media.
• To work towards the highest possiblelevels of data quality
• To ensure a consistency of approachand outcomes

Resource Management

• Provide day to day information adviceand guidance to staff within a specific locality
• Support the Practice Team in ensuringthat training delivered meets required standards and reflects current bestpractice.
• Ensure local managers and staff to useinitiative in the identification of key issues in relation to improvingperformance, existing systems and activity, and produce proposals to addressthese
• To ensure that all staff and managershave a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, with regard tothe performance and quality agenda and to develop appropriate skills to deliverthe performance agenda.
• Be a Practice Educator for studentswho are placed in or visiting the team as agreed with line manager.

Partnerships

• Establish and develop positive andsupportive relationships with relevant staff at all levels within the council,health service, higher education institutions and other partners to promoteeffective joint working arrangements.
• Assist leads in developing pro-activepartnership working, acknowledging that some interactions will be of a highlysensitive and contentious nature.
• Deputise for leads, as required inrepresenting the Directorate on national and regional groups for practice andpersonalisation.
• Promote social care, social work, Occupationaltherapy values, principles and best practice amongst adults with care andsupport needs, carers and the wider public and work with the Information officeand other relevant groups and boards to ensure that information, advice andguidance about Adult Social Care, advocacy and the prevention services on offeris widely available and that Accessible Information standards are in place.
• Act as supervisor to Social Workstudents and Occupational Therapy students on placement, including support,guidance, challenge and assessment.

Communications

• Communicate effectively with other practitionersand professionals to ensure required outcomes are achieved.
• To ensure regular communication ofperformance issues to all staff in ways that are easily understandable
• Provide professional information,advice and guidance as required.
• Represent North Yorkshire Council asrequired with internal and external customers.
• Develop expertise in coaching andmentoring staff who are less experienced
• In conjunction with the Practice DevelopmentOfficers deliver workshops and or learning events to support the ongoingdevelopment of social work practice in specific teams, locality or across the countyas required.

Systems and Information

• Ensure that practitioners utilise thecurrent business processes to support the Adult Social Care in relation to caserecording, quality, performance, and financial monitoring and outcomes forpeople
• Based on the analysis of the datacollection contribute to the development and monitoring of improvement planswithin a specific locality
• Assist in the collection ofperformance and outcome data and make appropriate use of IT systems.
• Contribute to the ongoing improvementand development of Adult Social Care processes and systems in conjunction withthe strategic objectives of the Directorate
• To work with leads in developing team,service targets for performance gains on a monthly basis in line with nationaland Directorate expectations
• To ensure early identification ofvariations in performance and quality using diagnostic tools.
• To work with leads to developsolutions and implement action plans locally and ensure that best practice isshared across the County.
• To analyse and interpret data in orderto identify the most effective courses of action

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educate to degree level or equivalent with a professional social care qualification. E.g. Degree in Social Work, Occupational Therapy, DipSW, CQSW
• Professional registration with Social Work England or HCPC.
• Best Interest Assessor Training
• Approved Mental Health Professional qualification

Occupational Skills

• Ability to work independently using experience and initiative.
• Ability to work well with others to promote Directorate and Health and Adult Services policies and objectives.
• Ability to contribute to an annual service performance plan and monitor standards to facilitate continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills. Ability to use persuasion, influencing and/or negotiation techniques to influence others.
• Resilience skills. Works productively in a pressurised environment and supports others to do so. Ability to act calmly during difficult circumstances and recovers quickly from setbacks.
• Effective time management and planning skills, meets deadlines
• Effective written communication skills communicates effectively in writing to produce documents in a range of formats and styles to suit a range of audiences. Excellent case recording and report writing skills.
• Decision making skills, can make decisions within own area of responsibility which may involve considering risks.
• Ability to monitor quality and service standards.
• Good IT skills including use of email, intranet, internet, word, excel and inputting date into the Councils assessment system.
• Flexibility and adaptability.
• Problem solving skills, uses creativity and innovation to generate solutions to problems.
• Planning and project management skills.
• Ability to respond to a changing environment and performance demands, flexible and adaptable.
• Creative and Innovative.
• Highly motivated.
• Open manner, with the ability to work well with colleagues at all levels in the organisation.
• Effective leadership skills and the ability to promote Directorate and Adult and Community Services operational policy and objectives.

Experience

• Advanced practitioners must have substantial experience in adult social care undertaking complex work in the application of relevant legislation.
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of effective assessment and social care practice to deliver the best outcomes for people.
• Knowledge and understanding of social care policy developments and good practice at a local and national level
• Knowledge of community, residential and day services for adults with social care needs.
• Good working knowledge, understanding and application of the Care Act and regulations.
• Knowledge and understand of other relevant legislation for adult social care, for example the Mental Capacity Act, Human Rights Act and other relevant legislation pertaining to Specialist area.
• Knowledge of statutory requirements, including requirements in respect, equality and anti-discrimination legislation, data protection and confidentiality.
• Knowledge and understanding of how Equality and Diversity, Dignity and Respect and Human Rights will apply to this role.
• Understanding of information for internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Understanding of quality and service standards at a multi-agency level.
• Demonstrable experience of adult social care operations and management in a local authority, major independent service organization or equivalent.
• Demonstrable experience of undertaking complex assessment of health or social care needs in a community setting.
• Experience of applying asset and strength-based approaches into practice
• Demonstrable experience of initiating the appropriate statutory and other actions required to undertake adult protection investigations.
• Experience of working positively in a changing environment.
• Experience of working with management information. An understanding of the performance assessment framework and ability to understand and analyse trends
• Experience of promoting the achievement of equality standards throughout the organization
• Have an awareness and understanding of financial systems and budget management.
• Experience of working with and implementing organizational culture change strategies
• Relevant experience in the management of specific resources in a changing organisational environment, including human and financial resources.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Full-time,Flexible working,Home or remote working