Assistant Care Manager - Horsham

This is a great opportunity for you to join us as an Assistant Care Manager in our Safeguarding Hub. You will act alongside our social work Team and health care colleagues responsible for delivering a statutory social work service to adults in the locality of West Sussex. If you are thinking why join West Sussex County Council there is a supportive culture, employees are genuinely valued, respected and there is an emphasis on work life balance.

Safeguarding Hub:

1. Act as single point of contact for all safeguarding adults' referrals.
2. Carry out the initial triaging and decision making for safeguarding referrals.
3. Carry out risk assessments.
4. Agree and initiate initial safeguarding plans.
5. Work in partnership with other agencies including police, service providers, housing and so on in relation to managing risk.
6. Provide support and expertise to Adults' Services and partner agencies in relation to statutory safeguarding duties and processes.

The team cover the whole of West Sussex and receive referrals from a wide range of sources, including: members of the public; concerned family and friends of a resident; the police; the ambulance service; health colleagues; care homes; other care providers.

About The Job

Salary: £28,624 to £31,066 per annum
Working Pattern: Full time
Contract Type: Permanent
Location: Horsham - hybrid working minimum 2 days in the office
Interview Date: week commencing 10th March

Workers within the Safeguarding Hub make decisions about whether referrals need to be taken forward as safeguarding concerns or enquiries, or whether another route is more appropriate, for example, an assessment of the person's social care needs.

A priority for the team is to ensure the person being referred is kept central to the decision-making process. This means seeking their views, or the views of those close to them in terms of what they would like to achieve from the process. As part of the decision making process you'll also be considering individual's mental capacity to make a decision and possibly involving an advocate to support them through the safeguarding adults process.

As with all our teams, partnership and collaborative working is a vital aspect of decision making and the hub have close links with Sussex Police, the ambulance service, Care Quality Commission and health services. They also work closely with hospital and community teams, both in terms of referring people on after the initial triage and planning and also acting as a point of contact for safeguarding advice and guidance. They also frequently support other areas of Adults' Services and less experienced workers.

This role combines making rapid, robust decisions regarding safeguarding referrals as well as utilising your skills and knowledge to use data analysis to support the running and the development of the team. You will also be leading on induction of new staff as well as developing and delivering presentations regarding safeguarding adults work to a range of different audiences.

Experience and Skills

These are the short listing criteria so please ensure they are covered within your application with examples:

1. Ability to analyse and interpret information and prioritise needs to make recommendations/decisions which will have a positive outcome.
2. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team, working under pressure and to tight deadlines.
3. Ability to work in a multi-agency environment to deliver a service to those people who access or need the service.
4. Ability to communicate complicated or sensitive information to a range of audiences to achieve positive outcomes. Able to communicate clearly with customers reflecting the service objectives and standards.
5. Sound and accurate IT and keyboard skills.
6. Ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, and to seek appropriate support, advice and supervision.

Qualifications and/or experience:

1. GCSE English and Maths or equivalent qualification or experience operating at this level of literacy and numeracy.
2. NVQ Level 3 in Care - Desirable.
3. Experience of providing support and/or working with people in a social care environment.
4. Experience of forming effective working relationships within a multi-agency setting.
5. Experience of working with data analysis systems (such as tableau or Power Bi), with the ability to use the data analysis to produce high quality reports for the service.
6. Experience of developing effective induction programs and mentoring new staff.
7. Experience of developing and delivering presentations to a range of different audiences.
8. An awareness of the policies, practices and procedures relevant to social work. Experience of the assessment and review process of care packages.
9. Experience of applying relevant legislation, policies and procedures to individual pieces of work.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.

West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.