The Service & Team:
We have an opportunity for a part time (18.5 hours) Social Care Practitioner in the Independence and Wellbeing Service's Initial Assessment Team, covering the West of Cornwall. The Independence and Wellbeing Service have a strong focus on preventing, reducing and delaying the need for support, focusing on strengths based practice to support members of the community achieving person centred outcomes.
The Role:
Within this team, the focus is initial contact and assessment work to gather information and consider the most appropriate next steps, utilising a strengths based and solutions focused approach. This would include providing information and advice, responding to Safeguarding Concerns, signposting, connecting to other agencies, working closely with the voluntary sector, progressing to reablement or undertaking an assessment with a focus on maximising independence and wellbeing through utilising social care and occupational therapy pathways.
Under the leadership and management of the Team Leader you will work within a team of Social Workers and other Social Care Practitioners to provide a service to adults with health and social care needs, achieving high quality, timely and person-centred strengths and needs assessments of individuals, planning for and working to improve outcomes and to increase/maintain the independence of vulnerable adults.
Social Care Practitioners are required to work collaboratively with colleagues from different teams, disciplines and partner organisations in order to provide a seamless service to individuals/families/carers. They will help to protect vulnerable adults from harm or abuse and support people to optimise their choices in order to live as independently as possible. They will work with communities, individuals and families to promote their personal strengths.
This is a public/customer-facing role, where the statutory English language requirement for public sector workers applies.
This position will be subject to an enhanced criminal record disclosure check.
Working Pattern:
This is a part time role - 18.5 hours per week.
What you’ll need to succeed:
The Social Care Practitioner will ensure they acquire and improve their knowledge and skills and contribute to the learning and development of other members of the team.
As representatives of Adult Social Care, behaviour and conduct should be professional at all times, reflecting the values of the department and the council.
You will have the following:
a minimum Level 3 qualification in health, social care or relevant area or the capacity and willingness to work towards appropriate qualifications;
the ability to use effective interviewing skills to undertake assessments of need, including risks and strengths;
demonstrable skills in analysis of information and ability to translate into a coherent plan and outcome;
the ability to work creatively under stressful conditions, know when and how to ask for support and to pass information and cases to more
experienced/qualified workers, as appropriate, following negotiation with supervisor; and
the ability to reprioritise and be flexible to respond to urgent referrals.
Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert
What you’ll get in return:
Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met. Find out more about working and volunteering for us
Additional Information:
Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.
The full role profile is attached here
We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview
For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Team Leader Oliver Burford - oliver.burford@cornwall.gov.uk
Application Process
A supporting statement or CV can be attached to your application. Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process
Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.
Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.
Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council
We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options
Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.
Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.

A unique Council that has secured the UK's first devolution deal for a rural County! We deliver services to more than half a million local people and to over five million visitors a year.
*Cornwall - The Place: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/work-and-volunteer-for-us/cornwall-the-place/
With its beautiful beaches, stunning countryside and superb community spirit, Cornwall is a great place to live.
*Cornwall - Our Offer: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/work-and-volunteer-for-us/our-offer/
With a competitive employee reward package that attracts, retains and motivates our employees; open plan working environments in most offices, good business systems and a can do culture where talented people thrive, Cornwall Council is a great place to work.
*Cornwall - Our Job of the Week: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/joboftheweek
*Cornwall - What we do and how we work: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/work-and-volunteer-for-us/what-we-do-and-how-we-work/
Services: Care for the elderly, children’s safeguarding, libraries, road maintenance, fire and rescue service, recycling, parks, street cleaning, countryside management, social housing, town planning, tourism support and trading standards.
We deliver these services through our employees who work directly for the Council and through our many other Council owned companies and organisations; CORMAC, Cornwall Housing, Tempus Leisure, Newquay Airport and Cornwall Development Company.
We also have close links with Cornwall’s health organisations, colleges and universities and work closely with the police, town and parish councils and the voluntary sector.
*Cornwall - Council and Democracy: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/
We have 123 elected councillors and as Cornwall is such a large rural area, our councillors and the towns and parishes they represent are grouped into 19 community networks, which are the focus of our local community work.