Advanced Practitioner

Job responsibilities

In this role you will:

• Work across Health and Adult services Community Teams.
• Support your line manager and work with the Practice Development Officers to embed the new approaches to social work practice, including, relationship-based practice, trauma informed practice and strength-based approaches, review and creative support planning.
• Support Leads to assure the quality of social care practice, undertake complex casework and support with the coordination of safeguarding activity.
• Focus on the quality of practice and performance using a range established tools and methods such as quality assurance tools and deep dives
• Work with the Practice Development Officers in delivering and developing the Peer Support and specific practice sessions ensuring that practice is compliant with the relevant legislation.
• Champion best social care, social work, occupational therapy practice across Health and Adult Services within a framework of best value.
• Implement a range of quality assurance tools, which consider practice, risk and complexity.
• Support the implementation of the ASYE and NQOT across adult social care within a specific locality.
• Hold a number of portfolios where you will identify the key practice issues and report to your line manager the implications for Care and Support.
• Support, coach, and mentor other members of staff on social care practice issues within a specific locality.
• Be aware of the key developments in social care, Social Work, Occupational Therapy practice for example NICE guideline and working with the Practice Development Officers ensure successful implementation of these.
• Support colleagues in a specific locality to work with adults with care and support needs and carers to co-produce of key elements of assessment, review and support planning across multiple channels for example online and within the electronic client databases.
• Ensure consistent, high quality social work practice in a specific locality with a focus on complex casework. The post holder will in addition be a named support coach and mentor to less experienced social care, social workers in their specific community teams.
• Be knowledgeable and have extensive experience in social work practice including expertise in safeguarding, undertaking complex assessment and intervention work with people and their families, a high level of experience and competence conducting complex risk assessments, Mental Capacity Act work including mental capacity assessment, Best Interest Decisions, Moving and handling legislation and Housing Construction and Regeneration Act, DFG (this list is not exhaustive).
• Support the strategic and operational direction, delivery and performance in a specific locality.
• Expected to be flexible to support and respond to the changing needs of the service and attend different parts of the County when needed.
• Ensure a focus and influence on relationship based and strength-based approaches to practice, which promotes the best outcomes for people.
• Ensure that social care workers have the appropriate skills, direction and oversight to effectively assess a person and or their carers needs appropriately, undertake risk assessments and arrange and deliver intervention services within budget and in line with clearly defined outcome measures.
• In conjunction with managers, will take responsibility for identifying and sharing Best Practice examples and contribute to Locality events and HAS Team Brief
• Work proactively with teams and social care workers to ensure the voices of people using our services are represented in social work practice
• Act as a lead in their service area for specific areas of practice e.g. dementia, autism, safeguarding and learning disability (this list is not exhaustive).
• Have a pivotal role in identifying knowledge and skills gaps and working with the Practice Development Officers and Training and Learning team to address this.
• Advanced Practitioners will carry out complex case work as directed by their manager.

Operational Management

• Directly line manage a small group of social care coordinators and wellbeing Occupational Therapy Assistants.
• Work with specific teams within the scope of the line manager in ensuring that practice is compliant with relevant legislation, is safe and of good quality.
• Develop staff awareness and practice in respect of performance and quality
• Ensure the compliance of designated operational teams with various performance requirements.
• In conjunction with leads to undertake quality monitoring of adult social care, social work, Occupational therapy practice through the review of assessment and support planning in accordance with timescales and other quality standards agreed in local procedures alongside other procedures.
• Ensure that support planning reflects the personal, familial and community assets or strengths of the adult with care and support needs or carer and that the principles of best value are consistently applied.
• Ensure that practice and support planning meet the desired outcomes for people and that their views and opinions are reflected in social work practice and recording.
• Ensure that the national eligibility criteria are consistently applied, with a clear rationale for the decision being made and that due consideration is given to the wellbeing principle.
• Report to line manager any areas of concern around practice, performance or concordance with legislative requirements.
• Ensure the Practice Development Officers are aware of any issues and assist in developing, implementing and managing improvements in practice within Adult Social Care Community teams and their interfaces with other professionals in relevant agencies.
• Ensure teams have processes in place to support the Performance framework and highlight
• interventions and trends in social care, social work, Occupational therapy practice within theirspecific locality
• Lead on a program of audit and review of activities across the Directorate which identifyimprovements in performance and lead to better service standards
• Report to the leads any issues of particular risk to adults with care and support needs or care or services which might attract attention from Members or the media.
• To work towards the highest possible levels of data quality
• To ensure a consistency of approach and outcomes

Resource Management

• Provide day to day information advice and guidance to staff within a specific locality
• Support the Practice Team in ensuring that training delivered meets required standards and reflects current best practice.
• Ensure local managers and staff to use initiative in the identification of key issues in relation to improving performance, existing systems and activity, and produce proposals to address these
• To ensure that all staff and managers have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities, with regard to the performance and quality agenda and to develop appropriate skills to deliver the performance agenda.
• Be a Practice Educator for students who are placed in or visiting the team as agreed with line manager.

Partnerships

• Establish and develop positive and supportive relationships with relevant staff at all levels within the council, health service, higher education institutions and other partners to promote effective joint working arrangements.
• Assist leads in developing pro-active partnership working, acknowledging that some interactions will be of a highly sensitive and contentious nature.
• Deputise for leads, as required in representing the Directorate on national and regional groups for practice and personalisation.
• Promote social care, social work, Occupational therapy values, principles and best practice amongst adults with care and support needs, carers and the wider public and work with the Information office and other relevant groups and boards to ensure that information, advice and guidance about Adult Social Care, advocacy and the prevention services on offer is widely available and that Accessible Information standards are in place.
• Act as supervisor to Social Work students and Occupational Therapy students on placement, including support, guidance, challenge and assessment.

Communications

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

Systems and Information

• Ensure that practitioners utilise the current business processes to support the Adult Social Care in relation to case recording, quality, performance, and financial monitoring and outcomes for people
• Based on the analysis of the data collection contribute to the development and monitoring of improvement plans within a specific locality
• Assist in the collection of performance and outcome data and make appropriate use of IT systems.
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement and development of Adult Social Care processes and systems in conjunction with the strategic objectives of the Directorate
• To work with leads in developing team, service targets for performance gains on a monthly basis in line with national and Directorate expectations
• To ensure early identification of variations in performance and quality using diagnostic tools.
• To work with leads to develop solutions and implement action plans locally and ensure that best practice is shared across the County.
• To analyse and interpret data in order to identify the most effective courses of action

Qualifications

Essential

• 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.

Desirable

• Best Interest Assessor Training
• Approved Mental Health Professional qualification
• Practice Educator or equivalent qualification

Occupational Skills

Essential

• 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.
• Resource Management skills
• 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

Essential

• 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

Desirable

• 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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).