Community Support worker - Young People with Disabilities Team

Community Support worker - Young People with Disabilities Team - Basildon (South Quadrant)

Fixed Term, Full Time

£24,395 to £31,131 per annum

Location: Basildon

Please note that this is a Fixed Term Contract / Secondment opportunity for a period of 12 months.

Working days and hours are Monday - Thursday 9am to 5:30pm and Friday 9am - 4:30pm.

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It's an exciting time to join us. Not only have we been named Outstanding by Ofsted, we are delighted and at the same time humbled to have been crowned Social Work Employer of the Year for the second time in the last three years!

The Opportunity

Children and Young People with Disabilities - YPWD Team (16-25year old)

The Young People with Disabilities Team (YPWD) works with young people and their families from the age of 16 years up to the age of 25 years. The team is part of the Children with Disabilities Service which work with children from 0-25 years old with disabilities. Within this service, the YPWD team works alongside the Children with Disabilities (0-16 years old), the Preparation for Adulthood Advisors Teams, Occupational Therapy Teams. This is an exciting and vibrant service which is in an ongoing phase of service improvement and development to enhance positive outcomes for children and young people with disabilities (from birth up to age 25) and their families and embracing the SEND reforms.

The Role

We are currently looking for a Community Support worker to work in the Young People with Disabilities - South team, based at Ely House and working in the Basildon and the surrounding South Essex geographical areas. Working together with partners delivering a range of early help, family support and effective social work interventions which build resilience, remove barriers and enable children and young people to look forward to a brighter future.

Support Workers work within frontline teams to support the delivery of effective Children and Young People's Social Work. Undertaking a range of direct activity, one to one or groupwork providing practical, personal and emotional support that meets the assessed needs, promotes improved health, physical, mental and social development.

Working to the Children Act 1989 and 2004, Children and Families Act 2014, Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005, including all other relevant legislation pertinent to supporting children, young people and adults with Disabilities within the remit of Social Care.

Accountabilities

• Responsible for supporting social workers and occupational therapists to undertake activity and interventions, which support the plan for the child, young person and family, including supervised contact activity.
• Build strong, effective relationships with the child, young person and family which support relationship and strengths based social work practice. Maintain high standards of professionalism which contribute to the level of confidence in Children's Social Care.
• Responsible for highlighting issues and implementing plans to safeguard a child/young people.
• Liaise and work collaboratively with internal and external professional partner agencies as relevant to the case (e.g., Occupational Therapy, Schools, colleges, health workers, Mental Health), to gather accurate information that informs assessment and decisions about the plan for the child or young person.
• Provide information and advice in relation to involvement/accessing of third-party agencies relevant to the needs of the child, young person and family (e.g., benefits agencies, immigration, housing), where necessary acting as an advocate.
• Contributes to meetings, reviews, (case conferences and court hearings as appropriate to the service) to provide information which builds understanding of the child and young people's needs.
• Record work and activity in accordance with Children & Families policies and procedures, including case records on Mosaic.
• Work collaboratively across the service, with internal and external professional partner agencies to contribute to the overall work and success of the team and ensure improved outcomes for children and families.
• Deliver support in accordance with the plan, as agreed by the case holding Social Worker where appropriate, this will normally be time limited, with measurable impact.

The Experience You Will Bring

Essential:

• Educated to RQF Level 3 (A Level/NVQ/BTEC) or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and in-depth knowledge in relevant professional area.
• Experience of building strong, effective relationships with children/young people with disabilities and families in times of challenge and crisis.
• Experience of undertaking direct, activity based and group work with children/young people with disabilities and families.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of the issues impacting children, young people and families, leading them to require support.
• Knowledge of Children's Act 1989 and 2004, Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and other legislative and policy guidance applicable within Social Care settings.
• Proven track record of working with partners and external agencies.
• Undertaking adult assessments (care Act assessments) desirable.

The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential.