Menu
Warning This job advert has expired and applications have closed.

Social Worker - Supported Living Services

Job details
Posting date: 09 April 2025
Salary: £34,314 to £44,708 per year
Hours: Full time
Closing date: 05 May 2025
Location: Reading, Berkshire
Remote working: Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week
Company: Reading Borough Council
Job type: Permanent
Job reference:

Summary

We are seeking a talented Social Worker to join us for an exciting new 3 year project focused on developing our Supported Living Market. We’re looking for individuals with excellent communication skills and the ability to build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues, service users, and healthcare providers.

About the Role:
You will hold a varied caseload across supported living services in and out of the Reading Borough and contribute to the team performance and positive outcomes for our residents.

You will:
work across services to review the people in the services,
work with providers to set, review and meet outcomes.
be proactive in collaborating with others and encourage change in practice

Your skills and experience will be central to the Supported Living project and the ongoing development of priorities for the project, changing ways of working for providers and the council and exploring new ways of working that can enhance the lives of Reading’s residents.

Using a strengths-based approach and your unique SW skill set you will support individuals to find solutions, promote wellbeing and healthy occupations through a variety of interventions including provision of equipment, adaptations, moving and handling, goal planning, re/enablement approaches, training providers, collaborative working.

You will work closely with the allocated project OT, care providers, Housing Services, and Health colleagues, while operating within the legal framework of relevant legislation, guidance, policies, and procedures.

While this role is initially a 3 year project, there is a clear plan for the SW to transition into another team within Adult Social Care at the end of the project, ensuring continued development and stability within the service.

You will hold a degree in Social Work and be registered with Social Work England. While community experience is beneficial, it is not essential. You will demonstrate a passion for improving services for people, strong influencing skills, and the ability to work collaboratively with team members, providers, and partner organisations. An interest in supported living and in exploring and developing new ways of working is important, along with being open to innovation and change—both as a participant and a leader. The ability to develop and deliver training within their area of expertise is also key.

The Supported Living Project:
We currently have around 380 people living in supported living services through accommodation-based services and community outreach. We work with around 50 providers to deliver a range of services from a few hours a week to multiple staff-24/7 services.

The project is designed to put people we support, innovation, and outcome-based support planning at the core of the services. We want to work with our supported living providers to improve outcomes for individuals and ensure that everyone in supported living have person centred, strengths based support plans with clear outcomes, that support the person to be as independent as they can be. We want to work with people, their families and providers to:

Develop tech-based options
Ensure reablement/enablement approaches are core to services
Evidence Outcome based working is in every support plan and regularly reviewed
Support moves on to independence (where we can)
Ensure people are reaching their potential
Ensure services are co-produced with the people who live in them
Implement the REACH standards throughout the market

You will have access to our Learning and Development programme and be supported in your career and personal growth with opportunities to learn and develop new professional skills, helping you to build your Continuing Professional Development portfolio and supporting you to grow as a SW.

You’ll be part of a team that relies on each individual to play their part to the best of their ability. As well as the colleagues that you work closely with every day, you’ll also be part of Team Reading, playing your personal part in making Reading a successful and vibrant place.

Our vision is to ensure that Reading realises its potential as a great place to live, work and play, and that everyone shares the benefits of this success. Our values and behaviours guide how we will achieve this:

Work Together as one team - work collaboratively, with each other and with our partners, and demonstrate the Team Reading values in everything we do
Drive Efficiency - show initiative, be adaptable to change and put forward ideas to help improve delivery and efficiency. Take responsibility for our own learning and development and for reaching our potential
Be Ambitious - be demanding of our own performance – striving to be even better – and be prepared to engage with and challenge leaders in a constructive and positive way
Make a Difference to Reading - maintain the highest levels of customer service and be flexible and willing to provide the services needed at the time they are needed

Our offer
A competitive salary alongside a range of benefits including:
Generous holiday entitlement - 25 days holiday each year plus bank holidays - rising to 33 days after 10 years' service
Maternity, adoption, parental and sick pay
A wide range of flexible working opportunities
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
On-site day nursery (Kennet Day nursery)

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed on submission
Interview date: To be confirmed

To find out more about this role please contact Sandra Sheldon – Team Manager - sandra.sheldon@reading.gov.uk or call 07834 802 697

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received.

Visit: www.moretoreading.co.uk to find out more about Reading’s Community & Adult Social Care Services. It’s a chance to hear from the people who already work here and why they have chosen Reading as their professional destination.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.