Social Work Assistant

Ceredigion County Council; Aberaeron; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Aberaeron seeks a Social Work Assistant to serve as the first point of contact for individuals and families, addressing concerns and exploring available support options. This role requires excellent communication skills and the ability to assess presenting problems effectively. Benefits include hybrid working and flexi-time for a balanced work-life environment.

Benefits

Hybrid Working

Flexi-time

Generous employer pension scheme

Cycle to work scheme

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential.
• Experience in assessing urgency and impact of presenting problems is required.
• Candidates should have previous work experience in a high-demand environment.

Responsibilities

• Act as the initial contact for individuals, discussing their concerns.
• Explore options and provide information on community support.
• Initiate proportionate assessments when necessary.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to analyze problems

Experience in demanding environments

Job description

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We are currently looking to recruit a Social Work Assistant to join Porth Gofal Integrated Intake Team, to work with individuals, families, and professionals acting on their behalf.

This is an exciting and varied role within the service where you will be the initial contact within Porth Gofal, responsible for discussing a person’s concerns, addressing those concerns by exploring options, and providing information and advice on support available both within the community and wider area to enable citizens and family resilience. Where appropriate, you will also start a proportionate assessment.

Porth Gofal is the integrated decision-making hub for Ceredigion that triages and determines the level of need of all cases and the best outcomes for those individuals. It is the heart of service provision, focusing on ensuring that citizens receive the intervention that best meets their needs or guiding them to early help or specialist services.

What Porth Gofal provides:

• A responsive service to citizens living in Ceredigion.
• Applies a strength-based needs assessment focusing on service user choice and control using the Signs of Safety framework.
• Reduces the time social care professionals spend determining eligibility for statutory services.
• Legislatively compliant service that meets the statutory requirements of the SSWBA.
• A safe service that identifies vulnerable and at-risk citizens, responding effectively.

What Porth Gofal achieves:

• Provides information, advice, and assistance about community health and social care services for adults that improve the connection between people and their communities.
• Encourages a balanced approach to the assessment of needs, ensuring that citizens are at the center of conversations and decisions, with the "what matters" conversation taking place.
• Supports multidisciplinary triaging of referrals to identify the appropriate professional response, e.g., physiotherapist, occupational therapist, or social care worker, to ensure the right response at the right time.
• Provides more consistent, coordinated assessments for care and support.
• Improves the flow of information between services, resulting in faster decisions about people's needs and support.
• Reduces hospital admissions by providing an in-reach service to facilitate timely discharges and reduce delayed transfers of care.
• Requires a commitment to integrated working with a focus on positive outcomes for citizens.

We are looking to recruit an individual with:

• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written)
• The ability to analyze the impact of presenting problems and their urgency
• Previous experience working within a demanding environment

We believe work-life balance is very important. To support you in achieving this, you will have access to the following discretionary benefits:

• Hybrid Working: Subject to certain conditions, you may choose to work from home or in an office location.
• Flexi-time: Hours may be worked within a defined bandwidth, Monday to Friday, subject to service needs.

For further information and an informal discussion regarding this post, please contact Janette Dixon.

Note: We reserve the right to extend the application closing date.

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and adults at risk. As part of this commitment, certain roles require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check to assess suitability. This role will require an Enhanced DBS check. The presence of previous convictions will not necessarily disqualify a candidate; each is assessed on a case-by-case basis, considering the relevance to the role. We aim to create an inclusive and supportive environment where all individuals are treated fairly and with respect. For questions or concerns about this process, please contact us. Your privacy and dignity are paramount throughout recruitment.

What we offer:

• Work-life balance
• Lifestyle savings scheme
• Generous employer pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Learning and development opportunities

Where you'll work:

Porth Gofal – Targeted Intervention Services

About the role:

As a Social Work Assistant, you will be the initial contact within Porth Gofal, responsible for discussing concerns, exploring options, and providing information and support to individuals and families, helping them access community and wider services, and initiating proportionate assessments when needed.