Livewell Southwest is seeking a qualified and dedicated Social Worker to join its dynamic and compassionate team, delivering integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon.
The ideal candidate will hold a Post Qualifying Award in Social Work, with experience and knowledge aligned with national standards and guidance. A strong commitment to ongoing training and continuous professional development is essential, as Livewell Southwest prioritises the growth and support of its workforce.
This is a fantastic opportunity to work in a progressive, values-driven organisation that empowers both its staff and the individuals it supports. A Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) is available for eligible international applicants.
Join Livewell Southwest and make a real difference in the lives of individuals and communities through high-quality, person-centred social care.
About Livewell Southwest
Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise providing integrated health and social care services across Plymouth, South Hams, and West Devon, with specialist services in areas of Devon and Cornwall. Services are delivered across community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, and health hubs.
Guided by values of kindness, respect, inclusivity, ambition, responsibility, and collaboration, Livewell Southwest is committed to transforming care services for sustainability while empowering both staff and service users.
The organisation places individuals at the centre of care, actively involving service users, families, and carers in shaping care delivery to promote independence and wellbeing.
Livewell Southwest also prioritises staff development through protected CPD time, structured training pathways, leadership programmes, and funding support for qualifications such as the Care Certificate and Nurse Training Scholarships. Comprehensive induction and preceptorship programmes ensure smooth onboarding.
Livewell Southwest values diversity and encourages applications from all backgrounds, including individuals with experience in the armed forces, mental health, neurodiversity, or learning disabilities. Reasonable adjustments are available during the application process upon request.
Position: Social Worker
Salary: £38,628 – £46,580 per year
Job Type: Full Time
Location: Plymouth
About the Role
37.5 hours per week.
Social workers primarily work with people in complex situations. Complex is defined as – unpredictable or ambiguous situations where the person may be resistant, coerced or a significant risk to self and others. These situations are often time-consuming owing to the multiple factors that have led the person to becoming socially excluded. Decisions require proportionality and analysis of many different views and factors, such as psychological, biological, legal, environmental and economical.
The post holder Is required to discharge statutory social care functions on behalf of the organisation and to uphold the standards outlined in the Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work. As such, they are required to undertake complex and proportionate assessments that are evidence-based. Examples include mental capacity assessments and health and social care assessments of people who have a variety of needs that may create a high level of risk to their wellbeing. The post holder is also required to arrange and review the delivery of social care support.
Wherever possible the post holder is required to support people to take risks in complex situations so that their outcomes and wishes are promoted. The post holder is also required to undertake safeguarding investigations and consider decisions made in a persons best interest that may deprive them of their liberty.
Main duties of the job
The post holder needs to be accountable for;
- Their actions or omissions.
- Promote and uphold the privacy, dignity, rights, health and wellbeing of people who use health and care services and their carers, at all times.
- Work in collaboration with colleagues to ensure the delivery of high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare, care and support.
- Communicate in an open and effective way to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of people who use health and care services and their carers.
- Strive to improve the quality of care and support through continuing professional development (CPD)
- Uphold and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.
- To be legally literate with the Care Act (2014), the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Human Rights Act (1998). To have a good understanding of the Mental Health Act (1983) and its subsequent amendments and the Children Act (1989).
- To have an awareness of national policy and guidelines and how these should be used in practice.
- Preparing legal documents for court and representing the organisation in a court setting.
LWSW is fully committed to an integrated health and social care workforce which operates a shared skills model, whilst adhering to the core principles of the social work profession.
This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route.
Please note that we may close the job advertisement earlier than the specified deadline.
All staff are expected to be able and willing to work across a 7 day service.
MAIN DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES
Responsibility for People Management
- Supervise and or train students and colleagues as and when required to ensure their practice is safe and professional.
- Provide supervision on a one to one basis or through peer supervision as and when required to ensure practice is safe and professional.
- Support the delivery of induction training for new staff within the service as and when required to ensure practice is safe and professional.
Responsibility for financial and or physical resources
- Responsibility for the occasional short-term security of a persons cash, legal documentation or valuable items e.g. house keys, until they can be securely deposited.
- Duty to consider best value option when planning for peoples care and support.
Responsibility for administration
- Plan and organise day-to-day work using an online calendar, recording systems,and workload management tools – that are available on the intranet, in accordance with departmental guidelines.
- Ensure records are timely, kept up-to-date, accurate and used in accordance with the GDPR and organisational guidelines.
- Have a good understanding of the various computer programmes essential for the completion of daily work, such as Microsoft office.
- Arrange and plan meetings with colleagues and or people who use services and be willing to chair them if required.
Responsibility for people who use our services
- Maintain contact with people who use our services either face-to-face, telephone or assistive technology such as video links and conference calls.
- Design, implement and review care and support plans, which may involve the input of other professionals or disciplines.
- Work to a number of protocols and procedures such as lone working, risk management and health and safety.
- Complete carers assessments and seek feedback from people who use the service.
- Learning some basic clinical skills to enable the undertaking of holistic assessments and liaison with the multi-disciplinary team.
- Take an asset-based approach, including signposting to universal services, advice and information and considering the persons links and integration with their community and services such as advocacy.
- Duty of candour and supporting people to make complaints if they wish too.
- Increased level of responsibility and autonomy in relation to analysing and making professional judgements, informed by practice experience and underpinned by theory and best practice guidance.
- Ability to work independently, utilising knowledge and skills with regular support from management, work is managed rather than supervised. Ability to act following broad policies and regulations, working within guidelines and protocols, utilising monthly supervision.
Responsibility for implementation of policy and or service developments
- Contribute ideas, and advocate on behalf of the people who use our services, towards the development and implementation of policies and or services.
- Work in other teams and across the organisation in order to support organisational demands and pressures.
- Represent the team or organisation on planning or developmental groups as and when required.
- A flexible and adaptable approach to organisational change.
Other Responsibilities
- Correct use of computer hardware and software, security, processing and generating information, creating, updating and maintaining information databases.
- Awareness of current social care research trends and to take part in development activities, such as Safeguarding Adult Reviews.
COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS
- Maintain positive working relationships and communicate clearly with team colleagues, line manager, other professionals, people who use our service and their families and or carers which may include highly sensitive issues.
- Listen to and work in partnership with the people who use our services and families and carers.
- Maintain professional conduct and communicate clearly when faced with competing demands and in situations that are potentially highly emotive, such as being challenged by families or other professionals.
- Present evidence-based decisions and judgements about potentially complex or ambiguous situations in a manner fit for the audience. This includes writing court reports, explaining legal requirements to people and their families and projecting social work values in a multi-disciplinary setting.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB
- Travel between different offices to attend meetings.
- Visit people at home, community setting e.g. café, hospital, care home or prison.
- Visiting people in their own homes may be prejudicial to health and wellbeing. Some visits may be out of county and on occasion may require an overnight stay. Protective equipment may be required such as gloves and facemask in certain settings.
- Sitting at a computer either in office or remote working – Refer to DSE policy.
- Take pro-active steps to maintain self-care and resilience e.g. through the use of supervision, occupational health services etc.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR ALL POSTS
- The post holder is required to comply with all relevant policies and procedures pertinent to their post. Current versions can be found on the intranet or via your manager. The areas listed below are those Livewell Southwest currently places particular emphasis on. Failure to follow correct policies and procedures may result in disciplinary action.
Risk Management
- In accordance with the Risk Management Strategy, employees will participate, whenever required, with the risk management process. They will support line managers by attending mandatory and statutory training, completing incident/accident forms for every adverse event or near miss that occurs, report all defects and complaints, and communicate any dangerous situation to individuals potentially at risk.
Health and Safety at Work
- You must co-operate with those in authority and others in meeting the statutory requirements and in following policies and procedures. A copy of the Health and Safety Policy is available from the intranet or from the Risk Management Department.
- You are reminded that in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 you have a duty to take reasonable care to avoid injury to yourself and to others affected by your work activities.
- You will be notified where your post carries a requirement for immunisation.
- You may be required to be able to undertake physical intervention training and participate in physical intervention as part of a physical intervention team and Basic Life Support – BLS.
Infection Control
- Livewell Southwest is determined to eradicate healthcare-acquired infection and puts a great deal of emphasis on the responsibility of all staff to ensure their own personal and others compliance with Infection Control, including Hand Washing Policies. All staff must comply with infection control policies and guidance, attend relevant updates and report issues of concern to their immediate line manager – If no action or explanation received, then it is the individuals responsibility to escalate their concerns to the Director of Operations or Chief Executives Office.
Person Specifications
Experience
Essential
- Post Qualifying Award
- Experience and knowledge in line with national standards and guidance
- Ongoing training and evidence of continuous professional development
- Relevant policies and procedures of the Department and Livewell South West
- Relevant legislation; e.g. The Care Act 2014, Health and Social care act 2012 and the Mental capacity Act 2005, Data Protection, Equal Opportunities, Freedom of Information Act, Disability Discrimination Act, The Human Rights Act 1998
- Resources in order to provide advice and information to enable vulnerable adults and carers to make informed choices, e.g. Allowances,
- Access to support advice and information
- Safeguarding for vulnerable adults and children and young people
- Working knowledge and experience of working to address a range of human needs, including personal crisis, disability, ill health
- Awareness of the potential effects of providing regular and substantial unpaid care to a relative, friend or neighbour
- Practical and procedural knowledge for a range of tasks related to the service area, of the policies or procedures relating to –
- Continuing NHS Healthcare eligibility and interfaces
- Personal Budgets and Support planning, policies, and standards
- Multi-disciplinary and partnership working
- Specialist equipment/Manual Handling Risk Management
Specific Skills and Technical Competencies
Essential
- Planning skills required to undertake appropriate care plans, manage day to day caseload; may have to plan up to a month in advance
- Keyboard skills required using a range of Microsoft office software to write reports and care plans, assessments, letters, enter data and complete forms
- Highly developed communication skills to enable daily interaction with colleagues, service users and partner agencies. Write reports for court
- And statutory reviews as well as for case recording. Negotiating skills to enable an appropriate way forward or provide an acceptable solution for the service user
- Judgemental skills needed to analyse, interpret and assess each case, using professional knowledge
- Observational skills when visiting service users homes e.g. interaction between service user and carer, home hygiene, safety of home
- Prioritise and work flexibly as well as managing time effectively in order to meet specified tasks within agreed timescales
- Work as part of a team and be able to contribute effectively to the achievement of wider service performance objectives
- Freedom to Act: Ability to work independently, utilising knowledge and skills with regular support from management, work is managed rather than supervised. Ability to act following broad policies and regulations, working within guidelines and protocols, utilising monthly supervision.
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree or equivalent in Social Work e.g. DipSW, CQSW, CSS
- Professional knowledge gained through degree in social work underpinned by theory and through relevant practice experience.
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development by producing documentation to meet the Standards of Proficiency for Social Worker registration.
- Registration with Social Work England as a social worker
Desirable
- Experience of working within an Adult Safeguarding team or service.
- Significant experience of working as a Social Worker.
Benefits
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications
Required Documents
- CV/Resume
- Cover Letter
Application Process
Looking to join the NHS in a sponsored role? APPLY HERE
Application Deadline
August 5, 2025