Qualified Social Worker

West Northamptonshire Council; Northampton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and family-friendly working

Generous annual leave

Learning and development opportunities

Health and wellbeing support

Employee benefits and discounts

Job summary

West Northamptonshire Council is seeking a qualified Social Worker to support adults across West Northamptonshire. You will undertake strengths-based assessments, assist discharge planning and work across hospital and community settings with health colleagues, families and partners.

You will be involved in safeguarding, mental capacity assessments and complex decision making, using professional judgement to balance risk and independence, delivering person-centred support.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Experience working with adults in statutory settings.

Responsibilities

• Undertake strengths-based assessments for adults 18+ across West Northamptonshire.
• Support discharge pathways and help access required services to maintain independence.
• Collaborate with hospital and community teams, families, carers and partner agencies.
• Involve safeguarding work, mental capacity assessments and complex decision making.
• Provide problem-solving and person-centred practice.

Skills

Relationship-building

Analytical thinking

Decision making

Autonomy

Collaborative working

Education

Social Worker (England) registered

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Northampton

The Flow and Capacity Team supports adults at key points of change, helping people navigate the period between hospital and home, preventing unnecessary admissions where possible and ensuring the right support is in place when it matters most.

This role offers a unique blend of hospital and community social work, giving you the opportunity to work across a variety of settings and alongside a wide range of professionals. You'll support adults through important decisions about their care, independence and future support, helping them achieve positive outcomes at what can often be a challenging time in their lives.

Unlike many adult social work roles, this is not a long-term case holding team. Instead, you'll work alongside people for a shorter period, helping to assess needs, identify solutions and put support in place before they move on to the next stage of their journey.

This role is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore subject to an enhanced DBS certificate. It is also a regulated activity and will be subject to a Children and Adults Barred List check. West Northamptonshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

What will you be doing?

You'll work with adults aged 18 and over across West Northamptonshire, undertaking strengths-based assessments, supporting discharge pathways and helping people access the support they need to remain as independent as possible.

Working across both hospital and community settings, you'll collaborate closely with health colleagues, families, carers and partner agencies to understand each person's circumstances and make informed decisions about their future care and support.

You'll be involved in safeguarding work, mental capacity assessments and complex decision making, using your professional judgement to balance risk, independence and positive outcomes.

The nature of the work means you'll regularly encounter new situations, different challenges and diverse needs, making this an interesting and rewarding role for someone who enjoys problem solving and making a tangible difference.

Why Join Us?

You'll be joining experienced colleagues who understand the realities of frontline social work and work collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes for the people we support. There is a strong culture of learning, knowledge sharing and supporting one another, with opportunities to develop your skills across both hospital and community practice.

Alongside a rewarding career, we offer:

• Flexible and family-friendly working arrangements
• Generous annual leave
• Learning and development opportunities
• Health and wellbeing support
• Employee benefits and discounts

About you

You'll be a qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England and have experience working with adults in a statutory setting.

You'll be confident building relationships quickly, gathering information, analysing complex situations and making sound professional decisions. You'll be comfortable working autonomously whilst recognising the value of collaboration and partnership working.

This role is well suited to someone who enjoys assessment and intervention work, likes working with a variety of people and situations and gains satisfaction from helping people move forward. You'll be adaptable, organised and able to remain focused when priorities change.

Most importantly, you'll be committed to delivering person-centred practice, promoting independence and helping adults achieve the best possible outcomes.

About us

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us .

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [e-mail] for support.

Please notewe reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. West Northants Council, where careers thrive.