Job responsibilities
KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Responsible for the management of the day to
day running of the operational social work functions (inc. SPA) within Focus.
Instil a positive culture whilst providing
inspirational leadership to the social work function and the wider
organisation.
Manage a small caseload of complex cases and
lead of court work / cases for Focus, this will include preparation of reports
and attending court as and when required.
Deputise for the Deputy Head of Service, in a variety of
situations, as appropriate.
Act as the Lead for focus on specific areas of work,
being actively involved in project groups and ensuring feedback is shared with Social
Work Team Manager colleagues, the Deputy Head of Service and the wider
organisation as appropriate.
To work in conjunction with the Practice Development,
Assurance and Education Team to ensure the Practice Framework and Quality
Assurance Framework are embedded in the Social Work Teams.
PRINCIPAL
DUTIES & REPONSIBILITES
Leadership
Provide
day to day leadership to a team of Social Work Practitioners, Social Work
Co-ordinators, Single Point of Access staff and also to the wider organisation.
Continually
manage the performance of staff and undertake monitoring, improvement plans and
formal capability processes as required; this could include attending and
presenting at disciplinary hearings.
Continually
develop staff in line with the KSS and the Professional Capabilities Framework
(PCF) for Social Work.
To
be involved in the recruitment of new staff; developing recruitment paperwork
such as adverts as well as partaking in interviews, group discussions and
skills tests.
Plan,
oversee and lead on onboarding of new staff, provide mentorship for students
Allocation
of work, management of resources and capacity planning across the teams.
Authorise
service requests from staff via the Adult Social Care database (SystmOne),
holding Practice Surgeries, case discussions with staff and continually provide
advice / guidance to staff on cases.
Through
strong leadership and good management practice, motivate staff to work in a
responsive and effective way that demonstrates the values of social work and
achieves the standards and performance measures set.
Provide excellent social work supervision to direct
reports, complying
with the professional supervision framework across social care in Focus.
Collect
information about individual and team workloads to use to plan / prioritise
work and resources effectively and efficiently across the service area.
Set team performance
objectives / targets
Available to undertake
On Call Rota system duties.
Peformance
Management, Quality & Improvement
Assist the Deputy Head of Service on performance
standards / targets in matters relating to:
Key national and local performance indicators
Data
quality issues
Adherence
via supervision framework to workforce processes e.g. standards relating to onboarding,
supervision etc.
Practice
standards of the team and wider organisation
Improving
social work practice on the front line and supporting and advising on the
quality of practice, which includes:-
The
practice of others and monitoring / managing the performance of individuals
Providing
supervision, coaching, mentoring and challenge to a wide range of practices at
various levels within the organisation
Monitoring
operational front-line practice within the team, providing observation and
constructive feedback.
Observing
and providing feedback to staff on their performance, practice and behaviours
Encouraging
and supporting self-reflection / critical reflection within practitioner groups
to develop and support a framework of self-management
Facilitating
case study working groups / case discussion groups / peer support groups to
encourage self-responsibility and increase competence and confidence of staff
group
Work to the Focus
Quality Assurance Framework to ensure services are compliant; conduct regular
audits and evaluations of social work programmes, processes and documentation,
highlighting areas for improvement.
Work closely with
social work teams (inc. SPA), management and external stakeholders to foster a
culture of continuous improvement and quality excellence.
Investigate and formulate draft responses to formal and
informal complaints received into the service.
Keeping self and others up to date with best practice and
excellence in practice, regulatory and legislative changes, contemporary models
of delivery and changes in practice required to meet delivery demands.
Contribute
to the development and implementation of policies and procedures relevant to
the service.
Partnership Working & Networking
Work
with external professionals and partner agencies to ensure consistency, ease of
practice, best use of resources and the best outcomes for the individual.
Proactively
seek opportunities for self and team members to further develop and maintain
strong multi-agency relationships.
Represent Focus at local, regional and, where
appropriate, national working groups, events, meetings and conferences which
relate to role.
Development
and sustaining partnership arrangements with stakeholders within and outside of
the organisation.
Note: No role profile can
cover ever issue which may arise within the post at various times. The post holder is expected to carry out
other duties from time to time with are broadly consistent with those
described.