Band 8c Head of Social Care and Safeguarding - Bath

Band 8c Head of Social Care and Safeguarding - Bath

The Head of Social Care and Safeguarding - Principal Social Worker for Mental Health is a strategic social work post.

The post holder will work closely with the Divisional Social Work Leads in driving forward the social work agenda, supporting the professional development of the social workers and ensuring that there are systems and processes in place to ensure professional social work standards are promoted and enhanced throughout the organisation.

Will be required to work closely with other professional heads, providing strong leadership across the Trust for both social work, social care and safeguarding practice. You will oversee the development of existing strategic partnerships, as well as identifying and driving forward new innovative and exciting collaborations.

Will provide senior leadership for the Trust's statutory safeguarding service on behalf of the Director of Nursing ensuring the continued delivery and development of safeguarding practice across the Trust, providing strategic leadership, specialist advice and operational support to the head of safeguarding.

Will advise the Trust Board of their corporate responsibilities for safeguarding and setting the safeguarding goals and standards for the organisation.

Main duties of the job

To fulfil the functions of the Principal Social Worker for Adults, having oversight and supervision of Social Work practice and standards, professional accountability and independent scrutiny, which provides assurance that statutory duties and responsibilities are being effectively discharged at all levels.

Support system-based integrated models of health and social care service community health and social care teams supporting adults of working age, older people and younger people with mental health problems.

Contribute to CQC inspections of Local Authority Partners.

To promote public health and work with the Directors of Public Health across the AWP footprint to provide advice and collaboration as appropriate on public health agenda programmes in areas such as children with complex needs, healthy environments, child poverty, child mortality, social exclusion, sexual exploitation, financial exploitation and modern slavery.

Act as designated Lead for CQC Regulation 13.

About us

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community.

You will enjoy the benefits of working in AWP, an NHS Trust that is committed to developing a highly skilled workforce and actively encourages professional development opportunities.

You will also benefit from the generous NHS pension scheme and exclusive NHS discounts.

Job responsibilities

The Head of Social Care and Safeguarding - Principal Social Worker for Mental Health is a strategic social work post.

The post holder will work closely with the Divisional Social Work Leads in driving forward the social work agenda, supporting the professional development of the social workers and ensuring that there are systems and processes in place to ensure professional social work standards are promoted and enhanced throughout the organisation.

Will be required to work closely with other professional heads, providing strong leadership across the Trust for both social work, social care and safeguarding practice. You will oversee the development of existing strategic partnerships, as well as identifying and driving forward new innovative and exciting collaborations.

Will provide senior leadership for the Trust's statutory safeguarding service on behalf of the Director of Nursing ensuring the continued delivery and development of safeguarding practice across the Trust, providing strategic leadership, specialist advice and operational support to the head of safeguarding.

Will advise the Trust Board of their corporate responsibilities for safeguarding and setting the safeguarding goals and standards for the organisation.

Person Specification

Education and Qualification

• Registered Social Worker with Social Work England
• Post-qualifying learning and experience equivalent to a Masters level
• Extensive evidence of CPD

Experience and Knowledge

• Extensive post-qualifying experience and significant senior management experience
• Detailed knowledge of adult safeguarding practice, legislation and research
• Excellent understanding of Health and Adult Social Care at an operational and strategic level within a breadth of settings
• Specialist knowledge of the Care Act 2014, Adult Social Care and Safeguarding Adult's legislation/policies/procedures and best practice

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to influence and negotiate with a range of stakeholders
• Visible at all levels of the organisation demonstrating an inspirational leadership and managerial style at a strategic level
• Able to deploy a wide range of expert skills, including coaching, mediating, facilitation and influencing skills, modelling and analysis, change management, and workforce redesign where required
• Able to travel to AWP locations

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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.