Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationships

 Providing monthly performance reports and information to the Community Service Manager.

·       Working co-operatively across the service areas and with our  colleagues  in adult social care  to maintain work flow and encourage collaborative working across the service provision

·       Attend and, when required, chair multi-agency safeguarding and legal meetings.

·       Liaison with a range of other agencies e.g. solicitors, social care, general practitioners, commissioners etc. as required.

·       Analysing and communicating complex information to the social care teams.

·       Supporting Social Work Leads to foster Social Care teams that are motivated and resilient.

 Responsibility for Policy and Service Development

 Working with care providers, services and the community voluntary sector to ensure there are high quality social care support services for people living in Torbay.

·       Working across multi-disciplinary teams to ensure an accurate response to service user need.

·       Working with the Integrated Project Management Office (IPMO) to drive change and improvements to service delivery.

·       Developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) where necessary to ensure safe and consistent services.

·       To act as an agent of change in respect of service and practice development.

·       To represent the organisation across multi-agencies and whole systems approaches to improve partnership and collaborative working, where possible.

  To ensure that policies and procedures in regard to safeguarding adults are understood, adopted and applied by all staff.  This will include directing and leading whole home investigations, Provider of Concern Processes and supporting Safeguarding Serious Case Reviews as necessary.

To ensure all complaints are investigated appropriately via the Quality Assurance Social Work Lead, in accordance with the requirements of each agency, and to utilise learning to continuously improve practice. This will include working in conjunction with the Feedback and Engagement Team to achieve a local resolution (where possible) of informal complaints, to manage formal complaints (in accordance with the complaints polices of Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and Torbay Council).

Responsibility for Finance and other Resources

·       To support CSM in the management of the overall budget for the Torbay Mental Health Services.

·       To authorise complex packages of high value in line with TSDFT’s Scheme of Delegation and attend Complex Care Funding Panel where necessary.

Responsibility for Supervision, Training, Leadership and Management

·       Supervising team Leads and Senior practitioners in line with Trust expectations.

·       Chairing Complex Care service meetings and Leads meetings.

·       To provide consistent and effective leadership to teams, managers and practice leads.

·       To support other members of the Senior Leadership Team.

·       To ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of health and social care staff in line with relevant TSDFT HR and operational policies.

·       Maintain an awareness of professional and ethical issues to ensure care is delivered in a professional timely and courteous manner by all members of the team, respecting the different spiritual and cultural backgrounds of colleagues, patients and relatives.

·       Role model high standards of social work practice and uphold this with Leads and Senior Practitioners within the mental health services

Responsibility for Research and Development

·       Ensuring there are processes in place for implementing local and government policy and procedures.

·       Support Band 7 Social Workers/ Practitioners to maintain up to date knowledge in respect of the legal frameworks that govern Adult Social Care and disseminate this to Social Care staff within the Mental Health /Complex Care Service.

·       Leading projects and tests of changes as delegated by the Community Service Manager.

To learn and understand research in order to inform opportunities for development and improvement to ensure integrated services provide, meet or exceed national standards for performance and innovation where possible.

·       To be part of the Senior Leadership Team within TSDFT that oversees the delivery and development of Health and Social Care Services in Torbay.