Somerset Council
Adult Social Care Practitioner - Mental Health (Bridgwater)
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Closing date: 09/09/2026
Transform lives, champion rights & support adults to achieve their full potential.
Location: Bridgwater
Starting salary £28,598 rising annually, currently up to £32,061 (Pending pay award)
Full time, 37 hours per week
Ideal opportunity to join the pathway to become a fully qualified social worker
28 days annual leave entitlement
Role Purpose
As an Adult Social Care Practitioner within our Mental Health Social Care Service, you will support adults and carers to live as independently as possible through strengths-based, outcome-focused practice. You will work under the supervision of a Locality Manager to assess needs, review support arrangements and ensure appropriate services are in place in line with the Care Act 2014.
Our ethos is to support Somerset residents to live gloriously ordinary lives. This means working alongside people to build on their strengths, maximise independence, increase confidence and identify the support that will help them achieve their goals and live well within their communities.
You will work closely with individuals, carers, families and partner agencies to understand what matters most to people, identify risks and develop creative, person-centred solutions that promote choice, wellbeing and positive outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
- Working alongside Health and Social Care colleagues to achieve the best outcomes, including close partnership working with Intermediate Care teams to support Discharge to Assess (D2A) pathways and timely transitions from hospital into the community.
- Inform, advise and support adults and carers to access community-based services, including health, housing, welfare benefits, voluntary and user-led organisations.
- Deliver agreed assessment and review processes, ensuring statutory duties under the Care Act 2014 are met.
- Apply a strengths-based approach, gathering and analysing information to identify sustainable solutions and achieve agreed outcomes.
- Manage an agreed caseload with appropriate autonomy, prioritising work according to risk and need.
- Co-produce personalised, outcome-focused support plans with adults and carers, including arranging direct payments and commissioned services where appropriate.
- Monitor and manage risks, escalating concerns and working alongside partners where shared accountability is required.
- Identify and involve Social Workers, Occupational Therapists or other specialists where additional professional input is required.
- Safeguard adults at risk, working in line with statutory safeguarding duties.
- Maintain accurate, timely records and contribute to audits, peer forums and service improvement activity.
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What We’re Looking For – Essential Skills/Experience
We’re looking for compassionate, resilient practitioners with a commitment to person-centred practice. You will bring:
- Experience working in a caring or supportive role (paid or unpaid).
- An understanding of the rights of adults and carers and the ability to advocate on their behalf.
- Ability to work independently, using initiative and sound judgement.
- Strong communication skills, including the ability to adapt communication methods to meet individual needs.
- A positive attitude to using IT systems and maintaining accurate records.
- Ability to balance competing priorities and contribute effectively within multi-disciplinary environments.
About the Team/Service
Join our dynamic Mental Health Social Care Service, where Adult Social Care Practitioners, Social Workers and Advanced Practitioners work together to support people across Somerset.
Our community Mental Health teams support adults within their local communities, helping people to maintain independence, build resilience and access the support they need to live fulfilling lives. The service also works closely alongside NHS mental health services and a range of partner organisations to ensure coordinated, person-centred support.
You will be joining a collaborative, multi-disciplinary service where learning and development are actively encouraged through support from experienced colleagues and dedicated practice development resources.
Working within the Mental Health Social Care Service is fast-paced and rewarding, but you'll also find a team that is welcoming, supportive and genuinely committed to helping one another succeed.
Additional Information
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for Visa sponsorship.
Due to the nature of the role and the geographical area of the service across Somerset, which is a largely rural county, with limitations around public transport the ability to be able to travel to any location is essential. Therefore, applicants must have full access to a vehicle that can be used for work purposes.
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We recognise and welcome applications from disabled individuals who may require reasonable adjustments to meet this requirement, and we’re happy to discuss this from the first point of contact with the recruitment team.
For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Karen Johnson, Strategic Manager – Mental Health – karen.johnson@somerset.gov.uk
Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early if we have received a sufficient number of applications, so don’t delay, apply today! (If you are an internal candidate, please apply via the internal careers site)
A full job description can be found here: Adult Social Care Practitioner - Job Description - AG1045
Person Specification
| Criteria | Essential | Desirable |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness and understanding of rights of service users and carers and ability to advocate on their behalf. | X | |
| Working knowledge of Social Care Service. | X | |
| Awareness of relevant legislation. Knowledge of services relevant to needs and circumstances of service users and carers. | X | |
| Awareness and understanding of the principles of Social Work. | X | |
| Experience working in a caring or supportive role, not necessarily in paid employment. | X | |
| Experience in working in a care setting. | X | |
| Literate and numerate to GCSE level or equivalent. | X | |
| NVQ 3 in Health and Social Care or equivalent (equivalent must be health and social care related). | X | |
| Manual handling certificate for staff within Day Opportunities. | X | |
| Ability to speak fluent English as stated in Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016). | X | |
| Positive attitude towards computers and ability to input and retrieve data and information. | X | |
| Demonstrates empathy with service users and carers and understanding and respect for individual needs. | X | |
| Ability to work alone and use own initiative. | X | |
| Has an open and flexible manner, which elicits trust and confidence. | X | |
| Takes a full and active part in own professional development, appraisal and supervision. | X | |
| High level of IT literacy with; Windows 7, Microsoft Office 2003/2010, AIS (Adults Integrated Systems) or similar record keeping databases. | X |
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