Social Work Apprentice OCC616003

Job details

Salary range: £32,076 per annum  

Work location:  Various locations across Oxfordshire and university study in Aylesbury. A combination of remote, face to face and office-based working is expected depending on the needs of the people supported as well as in-person study time in Aylesbury.  

Hours per week: 37  

Contract type: Permanent.   

Vetting requirements: This role is subject to a Criminal Records Check. 

Closing date: Friday 10th May 2024

Interview date: Week commencing 27th May 2024

About us

Do you want to help us radically change the way we deliver social care?

Join Oxfordshire County Council on an exciting journey towards Delivering the Future Together, our ambitious transformation programme which is enabling us to be an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice.  We’re seeking the right people who can help us get there while embracing our value of ‘daring to do it differently’, as we continue to strive to do better.

In Adult Services, this means we're daring to do adult social care differently by supporting Oxfordshire’s residents to stay fit, healthy, and independent in their communities for as long as possible through a strength’s-based approach.  Working with local NHS services, care providers and community and voluntary groups, we make the most of what each of our strengths are, pulling in the same direction, and united by one shared vision.

This means we keep the people we support at the heart of all that we do. And that works. By listening to people and building on the positives in their lives, we can work collaboratively to help them live the lives they want with the right support around them.

It is something we call the Oxfordshire Way and we can’t do it alone – our proactive, positive approach to social care gives everyone the opportunity to make a bigger difference. If we’re doing a good job, we don’t stand still – we’re ambitious and we’re always striving to do better; it’s in our DNA.

About the role and the team

Our team empowers you to deliver bespoke solutions that supports people to achieve their desired goals and outcomes.   

We do this through our commitment of giving you the autonomy to do your role, to create new ideas and ways of doing things, with the support from our stable leadership team, regular group and 1:1 supervision and the opportunity to develop and progress across many different areas of Adult Social Care. Working for Oxfordshire County Council opens a world of opportunities across varying facets of Social Care including, but not limited to leadership, clinic assessment, prison work, seating, moving, and handling, and assistive technology.  

This is a trainee role where successful candidates will complete their Social Work Degree Apprenticeship over three years. This will involve learning and studying, alongside gaining practical work experience in some of our diverse teams. Successful candidates will need to meet the requirements of the apprenticeship programme throughout by working towards an honours degree as detailed here: Social worker (integrated degree) / Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

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You will be working alongside Social Workers within a locality, hospital setting or safeguarding team and as part of this team you will: 

• Empower people in the community to identify their strengths and desired outcomes, embracing new ideas and ways of doing things to improve and maintain their independence. 
• Utilise a strength-based approach to promote people’s wellbeing to help them achieve their desired outcomes. 
• Support people and carers to ensure their voice is heard through advocacy where necessary. 

No one day is ever the same in Oxfordshire County Council. Whatever your career aspirations are in adult social care, we’re here to support and empower you to lead your growth from the front.

We continue to be a financially stable local authority and our investment in Adult Services has created a number of vacancies; we are looking for Newly Qualified and Qualified Occupational Therapists and Newly Qualified and Qualified Social Workers to join us and help shape and deliver our teams; it’s a really exciting time to join us!

About you

You are…

• Driven to do things differently to find creative solutions that problem solves with the person, rather than for the person.
• Willing to take responsibility,
• Kind and caring, you exhibit empathy and have a sense of social justice.  
• Advocating for equality and integrity in all you do, and have good communication skills and are able to work collaboratively to achieve the best outcome.
• Always learning, you have a passion for learning with a desire to pursue a career in adult social care.
• Passionate about following the professional standards of Social Work England

Rewards and benefits

• Up to 33 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays - Option to ‘buy’ additional days
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Regular monthly formal and informal support and supervision
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Extensive Continuous Professional Development opportunities, career progression scheme including the opportunity to train as a Practice Educator, Best Interest Assessor or Adult Mental Health Practitioner.
• Learn more here: Our benefits | Jobs (oxfordshire.gov.uk) 

Would you like to know more?

Please click here to view the Job Description and Selection Criteria 

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Fiona Havord, Principal Social Worker on fiona.havord@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Application Procedure

Due to ESFA funding rules all applicants must be a UK resident or have resided in the UK for a minimum of 3 years on the start date of the apprenticeship.   

Adjustments to the minimum English and/or maths requirements will be considered by the provider where an apprentice has either an existing or previously issued Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan, a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or a Learning Difficulty Assessment (LDA).  

By applying for this Apprenticeship and the associated training you will be agreeing that your personal information you provide to the Council may be passed to the nominated training provider, ESFA, and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. Where necessary it is also shared with the Department for Education, including the Education Funding Agency and any other relevant regulator relating to the Apprenticeship. 

Further information about use of and access to your personal data, and details of organisations with whom the ESFA regularly share data are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esfa-privacy-notice.  If you have any queries around the sharing of your data please contact apprenticeships@oxfordshire.gov.uk  

Applicants must be aged 18 or over. 

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To apply, please complete an online application form by clicking either of the Apply Now buttons at the top and bottom of this advert. This includes a section asking you to explain how you meet the selection criteria, as specified in the job posting. You may attach a cover letter and/or CV to your application form, however it is not mandatory.   

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