The Role
Are you passionate about helping young adults build confident, independent futures? Herefordshire Community Wellbeing is looking for an enthusiastic, professionally confident Social Worker to join our welcoming and supportive Young Adults Team. The team works with young people from the age of 16 who have an active Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and are likely to require Adult Social Care support beyond the age of 18, supporting effective preparation for adulthood and transition planning.
This is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference at a pivotal point in people’s lives. You will work alongside young adults as they move into adulthood, helping them recognise their strengths, shape their goals and achieve greater choice, control and independence. You will join a team that values fresh ideas, reflective practice, professional curiosity and positive outcomes.
What will you be doing?
No two days will be the same. You will work creatively with young adults who have a range of care and support needs, which may include learning disabilities, physical disabilities, mental health needs and safeguarding concerns. By building trusted relationships with young adults, families, carers and partner agencies, you will help turn aspirations into practical, sustainable plans for adulthood. A significant part of your role will be to attend and contribute to annual Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) reviews with education providers from the age of 16, gathering relevant information, identifying likely care and support needs and helping to coordinate timely preparation for adulthood. You will undertake strengths-based assessments under the Care Act 2014 where appropriate and support coordinated planning for young people likely to require Adult Social Care support beyond the age of 18.
You will complete person-centred, strengths-based assessments under the Care Act 2014, alongside care and support planning, reviews and safeguarding work. We will support you to grow your confidence, deepen your specialist knowledge and continue developing as a skilled and reflective practitioner.
You will bring energy, sound professional judgement and a genuine commitment to personalised, outcome-focused practice. You will balance young adults’ views and aspirations with proportionate risk management and legal duties, while making creative use of family, community and universal resources. If you enjoy collaborative practice, thoughtful problem-solving and seeing young adults move towards the lives they want, we would love to hear from you.
Herefordshire is a rural county, and the ability to travel across the county is essential to the post.
About You
As a Social Worker in the Young Adults Team, you will have the opportunity to:
- Hold a recognised Social Work qualification.
- Be registered with Social Work England.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strengths-based practice and assessment under the Care Act 2014.
- Be able to communicate effectively with young adults, families, carers and professionals.
- Be able to undertake person-centred, strengths-based assessments under the Care Act 2014, alongside outcome-focused care and support planning and review.
Understand the purpose of EHCPs and be able to contribute clear social care information to annual reviews, preparation-for-adulthood planning and strengths-based assessments under the Care Act 2014.
Use your professional judgement to promote independence, manage risk and safeguard young adults.
Bring young people, families, education providers, health colleagues, Children’s Services and Adult Social Care together to contribute effectively to EHCP annual reviews and create coordinated, timely transition plans.
We Offer
A competitive salary, holiday entitlement, and access to our contributory pension and staff benefits scheme, which includes:
- Salary and any welcome payment will be confirmed in the published vacancy details.
- Enrolment in the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- Career progression: clear pathways to progress
- Annual Leave: 31 days’ annual leave (pro rata) plus bank holidays. You can also purchase an additional 10 days per annum during the request period
- Flexible working: including the potential for job-sharing, part-time hours and agile working.
- Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 access to support and counselling
- Payment of professional membership fees (based on role requirements)
- Pick your perks – our benefits include access to a range of retail, leisure, holiday and health benefits. This includes savings, cash back and discounts.
Why Choose Us?
We're proud and excited to unveil our new recruitment video, a celebration of Herefordshire's people, places, and purpose. Set in the heart of England and filled with pride, compassion and possibility, the video brings to life what it means to work somewhere you truly belong.
At Herefordshire Council, every role matters and every person makes a real difference for our communities. We’re a team where people feel valued, supported and empowered to grow together.
You will probably have heard a lot about how beautiful it is in terms of countryside and open spaces (and it is!) but there is so much more going on here, including world-class cultural assets like the Mappa Mundi, vibrant theatres and a thriving food and drink sector. One of Herefordshire’s biggest assets is the strong and diverse communities. Our Talk Community approach brings that together supporting people to help themselves, encouraging them to help their communities and identifying how communities can help individuals.
Our ambitious transformation programme aims to further build on this to offer an all-age approach. We’re excited about the potential of what we can achieve for the benefit of all residents of Herefordshire, stronger together and building brighter futures.
Don’t meet all parts of the job description?
Herefordshire Council is committed to strengthening a diverse and inclusive work environment which reflects the communities of Herefordshire. If you are looking at the next stage of your career and have a broad base of fieldwork experience, we can provide supportive and welcoming opportunities to help you develop your professional, management & supervisory skills.
Reasonable Adjustments
Our recruitment process runs in partnership with Hoople Resourcing. If you require any reasonable adjustments or alternative methods for the online application process, please contact the resourcing team by email: [email protected].
Creating an inclusive workplace
We encourage our employees to feel empowered and to use their voices to help embrace diversity, promote inclusivity and shape our organisation. We have eight employee network groups, collectives of colleagues who often share identities, life experiences or cultures and offer support and community. They also play an important role in strengthening the voices of employees at Herefordshire Council. Embedded in the Council's values is a commitment to listen to people's views and needs.
For more information on our Employee Network Groups please view our dedicated recruitment website: www.spiritofherefordshire.com.
Commitments, Covenants and Statutory Obligations
The following candidates will be interviewed if they meet the essential criteria for the post they are applying for:
- Those who indicate that they have a disability. This is part of our commitment to the “Disability Confident” scheme.
- Those who indicate in their application that they are an Armed Forces Veteran or Reservist. This is part of our pledge to support the Armed Forces Covenant.
- Those who indicate in their application that they are a Herefordshire care leaver. This is part of our commitment to supporting young people leaving our care.
We take our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults seriously and expect all of our staff, visitors and volunteers to share in this commitment.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children & young people and vulnerable adults. If you are offered this position, it will be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check.
How to apply
To apply for a position, please upload an up-to-date CV and complete the application form demonstrating your experience, skills and abilities for the role.
For more information or to arrange an informal discussion about the role, please contact: (Richard Clarke, Team Manager. 01432 383604).
Be sure to include reference to the job description and person specification or role profile! If you are successfully shortlisted, Hoople Resourcing will contact you via email to arrange your interview and/or assessment. They will confirm the date, time and location of your interview, so please keep an eye on your email inbox - check your spam/ junk folder too. Good luck, we’re looking forward to meeting you!