Practice Consultant Social Worker

Job Description

Temporary contract until 31 March 2025 GBP41,173 to GBP45,442 per annum (Scale K) 37 hours per week Millennium Library, Norwich

We offer a GBP2000 welcome payment for qualified and experienced Social Workers/Occupational Therapists (grade J and above), Practice Consultants and Team Managers new to Norfolk County Council. Amount to be repaid in full should they leave within two years of employment.

Who Cares? We do.

An exciting development opportunity has arisen for a full time Practice Consultant Social Worker on a fixed-term contract until 31 March 2025 working countywide in the People from Abroad Team.

This post will form part of the wide range of social work and support services provided to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees by the team, including migrant support, voluntary repatriation assistance, homelessness and help for victims of abuse, modern slavery and human trafficking who may be unable to access conventional accommodation assistance. You will also be required to carry out Human Rights Assessments and consider entitlement to services including providing temporary accommodation and subsistence support to those who do not have recourse to public funds (NRPF) and/or are caught by the restrictions on social care support.

Your role will be to work alongside the Integrated Quality Service (IQS) and be responsive to emerging trends and cases in the adult social care workforce where unethical practices have been identified with international recruitment - this may include cases of Modern Day Slavery (MDS) or sponsor license revocation. This post will act as a central point to ensure effective sharing of information and tracking progress against agreed actions - linking in with key internal and external stakeholders including; IQS, audit, safeguarding, workforce, commissioning, legal, procurement, Norfolk & Suffolk Constabulary and the Integrated Care Board (ICB). The post holder will also provide support to the individuals concerned and/or signpost them to other services as appropriate.

There will also be a need to take a proactive role in developing systems and processes in line with the organisations current policies, helping to write new ones, and also to encourage awareness of issues and support available with adult social care providers, workforce and the public.

The post holder must be able to demonstrate an ability to carry out social care assessments of children and adults, and co-ordinating support plans to enable clients to become independent and self-reliant. You will need to liaise with the Home Office and voluntary sector partners as well as exploring a range of solutions to promote independence. This includes helping families who originate from overseas to consider and partake in voluntary departure routes from the United Kingdom as well as helping to support them in times of crisis and emergency in situations where they cannot access help from conventional services due to their immigration status.

The successful candidate is required to have a good understanding of basic immigration law and must be qualified at Level 1 Immigration Adviser with the Office of the Immigration Service Commissioner (OISC) or be willing to undertake training and sit the Level 1 exams within 3 months of starting the post.

Our award-winning team of professionals, which also includes volunteers, provides specialist services across the county to migrants and refugees. You will be required to work occasional evenings and weekends. Duties include visiting people and providing support in community settings. Enhanced DBS clearance is required for this post. You will need to be able to use our social care systems (LAS and LCS) and other national databases. You will need to have experience of working with people who originate from abroad and in undertaking Human Rights assessments and preparing complex case reports. An awareness of the welfare benefits system would also be an advantage.

You will be involved in exploring and developing new services, building networks and liaising with other agencies, both within the UK and overseas. You will be well-organised with a positive outlook, able to prioritise effectively and able to work calmly under pressure and to tight timescales. Good IT, communication and networking skills are essential. Fluency in another major European language is desirable to compliment the range of languages currently spoken in the team.

Are you motivated and have a passion for supporting people in need of support at a time of crisis and enabling them to achieve independence? Do you wish to develop or continue your specialist knowledge in this field of immigration social work, including working with people who do not have recourse to public funds? If so, you are the type of practitioner we are looking for.

This post is located at the Millennium Library, where the team's office base is located, but you will also be expected to work part of the week from County Hall and home, so you should ensure you have a good internet connection at home and some space to work from. You will require to hold a full GB driving licence and have access to a car. Part time / job share candidates considered.

Who are we?

The People from Abroad Team provides specialist social work services to Norfolk residents who have immigration-related issues. We receive and support refugees under the government's resettlement programmes, support asylum seekers who are placed in Norfolk by the Home Office to access local services and support, provide assistance and support to families with children who have no recourse to public funds, and support other migrants to access services and overcome the additional barriers they may face to achieving independence once they have settled in Norfolk.

We also deal with cases of modern slavery, human trafficking, honour-based abuse, forced marriage and voluntary return where the person is a non-British national. We support British nationals who are returning to the UK following a period of settled residence abroad and provide immigration advice and support at OISC (Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner) Level 1 and provide advice and support to our colleagues in Adult's and Children's Social Services.

Qualified social workers and experience support workers on our team include specialists in early years, education, health, housing and employment, as well as people able to speak foreign languages. We aim to find lasting solutions for our clients and to promote their independence through ethnical, human-rights based practice.

Service Manager, Simon Shreeve said: " Helping people from abroad to settle in Norfolk can involve dealing with a myriad of intricate, fascinating issues. The social care system in Great Britain is often very different from the system in the countries where people have travelled from. It can be very confusing and frustrating for people, especially if their English is not quite up to dealing with the forms they are faced with. Having a diverse, supportive, skilled team able to make life better for our clients is essential to our service here in Norfolk. "

What we offer

At Norfolk County Council we are committed to our employees' learning and development. We offer all Social Workers and Occupational Therapists a protected half day per month for continuing professional development and training.

We want our people to be inspired and motivated to work well together, make the most of our workspaces, enjoy a healthy work-life balance, and deliver excellent services to Norfolk and its people. Flexibility is built into the way we work, with hybrid working a key feature for many roles. Our technology platform and equipment are first class, enabling you to connect and collaborate remotely. We ask that you have in place good Broadband connectivity.

We operate a talent pool scheme whereby candidates who are not successful on this occasion may be considered for a period of up to 3 months for equal positions.

You can also find out about the rewards and benefits we offer as well as our other terms and conditions.

Norwich is the county capital of Norfolk, 120 miles from London and 60 miles from Cambridge. It's on the edge of the Broads National Park, and a 40-minute drive to the seaside. Norwich is a superb city. It effortlessly mixes outstanding heritage through the ages with modern shopping centres, excellent restaurants, hundreds of caf??s and pubs, a superb arts and theatre scene with huge parks and green spaces, canoeing, rowing and sailing.

By train, Norwich to London takes 90 minutes and Cambridge less than an hour. There are also direct train links to the Midlands. Norwich International Airport has regular flights to Schiphol, Amsterdam and from there on to the rest of the world, plus daily internal flights to Scotland, Manchester, Exeter and Dublin.

Rachel Clark, Head of Integrated Care for the Norwich locality, said: "Norwich offers a warm welcome. We cover a comparatively small geographical area but we are a large and supportive team, with depth and breadth of experience in all areas of social care. Norwich Locality is committed to its residents and recognises the importance of collaborative and innovative work with our partner agencies. Based at County Hall we benefit from having access to a modern office environment, while promoting a flexible working culture, including hybrid working. Our management team are committed to continuous professional development and this is evident in regular Reflective Meetings, supervisions and monthly workshops . click apply for full job details