Preparing for Life (PfAL) Practitioner Norwich
Job description
Available Job Today Permanent contract | £35,411 to £37,261 per annum (Scale J) | 37 hours per week | County Hall, Norwich
Who Cares? We do.
This post will involve having a caseload which may be county-wide with base to be discussed with the successful applicant. Norfolk County Council has a shared vision ‘“To enable young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including mental ill health or autism, to live the lives they want by having the same access as their peers to opportunities for employment, housing, community inclusion and good health”.
To achieve this Adult Social Services and Children’s Services have worked together to develop and enhance the current transition support through the Preparing for Adult Life Service, which provides a seamless and consistent preparing for adult life experience for young people and their families. You will have the ability to work with young people with complex needs, as well as their families.
You will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the legislative requirements in relation to the Care Act 2014, as well as other legislation including the Children and Families Act 2014. As part of this role you will be expected to carry out assessments and care planning under the Care Act 2014. Due to the expectations and requirements of this role we would particularly encourage applications from candidates who hold a professional qualification in Social Work.
If you are committed to working in a person-centred way and have the skills to work as part of a team working with colleagues across both children’s and adult services to ensure provision of a co-ordinated and consistent Preparing for Adult Life experience and want to be part of this exciting service supporting the people of Norfolk, we would like to hear from you.
Who are we?
The Preparing for Adult Life team was established in January 2020 to support young people with a learning disability, mental health issue, physical disability and / or Autism transition from Children’s Services, Health and Education to Adult Social Services.
This can be a challenging time with both personnel and services that families and young people have become used to using completely changing once the young person reaches the age of 18.
In Norfolk this important transition from special educational needs & disabilities (SEND) to services for those with an eligible social care needs (The Care Act 2014) needs is led by Adult Social Services. The Preparing for Adult Life team facilitates regular networking meetings across Norfolk to develop strong relationships across the transitional agencies.
The team works closely with our employment services to ensure that employment, work experience and education is being pursued for all young people in our care as part of their planning for adult life.
Corinne Avery, Head of Social Care for Adult Learning Disabilities said: “If you are invested in making a better future for young people with additional needs, and supporting them to aspire for more in their lives, Norfolk’s Preparing for Adult Life (PfAL) Service could be right up your street. I’m really proud of our new service, and of what we have achieved so far. Our supportive team has big ambitions to do help even more families and young people we move on with their lives.”
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 cafés 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. As a big team there are opportunities for team members to pursue particular areas of interest; we have AMHPs and BIAs along with staff who focus on particular areas of practice such as self-neglect. We also encourage progression and have a number of APs who are currently on Norfolk SW Apprenticeship schemes and managers who have been promoted from within the Department”.
Your application
Please ensure you include a statement in your application to demonstrate why you feel you meet the person specification and job description for this post. CVs submitted without a supporting statement about this post will not be accepted.
For an informal discussion regarding this role, please contact Roger Allen (PfAL and Employment Service Manager) on 01603 679228
These are some benefits you can enjoy by working for Norfolk County Council:
- Competitive salary
- Generous holiday entitlement with the ability to buy and sell leave
- Health and Wellbeing services including fast-track physiotherapy and a free counselling service
- Flexible working opportunities including flexi-time, part time, remote and hybrid working – dependant on your job role and business need.
- Financial benefits such as:
- ‘ Norfolk Rewards’ our employee discounts programme which helps you save money on almost anything, from everyday groceries and clothes, to holidays, new technology, gym membership, trips to the cinema and days out.
- A Blue Light card for Fire Service and Social Care Workers
- Relocation expenses paid upfront (where applicable)
- An advance of your expenses if you travel for work
- Local Government Pension Scheme with generous employer contribution, life assurance, death in service payments and dependants’ pensions.
- A payment if you refer someone you know to a hard to fill job.
- Tax efficient ways of getting extra pension, new bikes and electric cars.
Before you apply, we recommend reading the full Job Description and Person Specification to help you demonstrate you meet the criteria. You can also find information on our Terms and Conditions here.
Already a Norfolk County Council employee? See and apply for internal and external vacancies in myOracle using your @norfolk.gov.uk or @nccal.ac.uk email.
Closing date: 2 April 2023 at 23:59
