Social Care Assistant (Adults - Mental Health)

Purpose:

• To assess the needs of adults and older people with physical disabilities, mental health , and/or learning disabilities and their informal carers in accordance with the Care Act and eligibility criteria


• To work collaboratively with other health and social care colleagues to facilitate an integrated approach and seamless support to service users.


• To formulate and implement strengths-based support plans with service users, their informal carers and other appropriate people, which will maximise their independence.


• To assess service users and their informal carers' activities of daily living and organise appropriate solutions to meet needs.
  
  


• To support service users and or informal carers to identify and commission resources that enable them to choose the best support options.


• To provide on-going assistance where required to service users in the management of their rehabilitation and complex support needs.


• To use strengths-based approaches to assess, monitor and review the social care needs of service users and informal carers and find appropriate solutions.


• To hold an individual caseload of varying degrees of complexity excluding casework that requires the expertise of a qualified professional.


• Take responsibility for managing casework with the supervision of a qualified senior practitioner.


• To conduct Assistive Technology assessments and organise provision of suitable equipment.
  
  

Duties and Responsibilities:

• To conduct risk assessments and undertake initial enquiries in response to vulnerable adults safeguarding concerns.


• To undertake Continuing Health Care Checklists contributing as part of the Multi-Disciplinary Support Team to the decision support tool.
  
  


• To implement and co-ordinate individual support plans and/or reablement programmes in conjunction with the client, informal carers, health and social care colleagues, providing support, advice and monitoring as appropriate.


• To refer service users and/or informal carers where required to other health and social care professionals.


• To develop and maintain extensive knowledge of services and resources available within the local community, identifying and utilizing existing information.


• To provide information and support about welfare benefits, to support clients to benefit appointments and refer to other financial support services.
  
  


• To promote self-directed support and ensure that service users and informal carers are aware of how a personal budget can be used to meet their assessed needs.


• To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and in collaboration with Health colleagues and external partners.


• To maintain accurate and relevant records, including needs assessments, mental capacity assessments, best interest decisions and support plans, inputting relevant information onto computer systems in accordance with Care Policy and procedures.


• To contribute to case conferences and service user reviews when required.


• To identify and alert safeguarding concerns to the appropriate manager in a timely manner.
  
  Whilst ensuring the person is made safe.


• To discuss any matters outside remit of role with supervisor/manager and seek advice, support and training where appropriate.


• To contribute to working practices and processes that maximise the use of new technology to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services.
  
  


• Carrying out lone working which can sometimes involve visiting clients in unpleasant conditions

Requirements

• Significant relevant recent experience of working with people with social care needs (e.g.
  
  learning disability, physical disability, mental health, older persons and end of life/palliative care).
  
  


• Experience of working in a multi-agency environment to deliver services to people with social care needs.


• An understanding of the needs of older people and/or people with disabilities.


• Experience of teaching practical skills to individuals with these needs.


• Experience of working with people with social care needs in a community setting, respecting the privacy of people's homes.


• Experience of dealing with people with social care needs where safeguarding interventions have been needed.
  
  


• Ability to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse and evidence of responding effectively.


• Understanding of the aims and principles of self-directed support and experience of advising people with social care needs and/or their informal carers in respect of self-directed support.


• Understanding of the Mental Capacity Act and Equal Opportunities legislation and experience of applying this knowledge in the workplace.
  
  


• Evidence of working effectively with people with social care needs and/or their informal carers where there are communication barriers.
  
  


• Detailed knowledge of the welfare and benefits system and evidence of signposting individuals to these services.
  
  


• Awareness of data protection and confidentiality together with experience of applying these principles operationally.


• Ability to travel across a wide geographical area in a timely and flexible manner at various times of the day in accordance with the needs of the job.