Somerset Council
Advanced Practitioner - Social Worker - Hospital Interface Service (Adults)
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Advanced Practitioner - Social Worker - Hospital Interface Service (Adults)
Advanced Practitioner Social Worker – Hospital Interface Service
Closing date: 8 July 2026
Transform lives, champion rights & support adults to achieve their full potential.
Location: Taunton Salary: £41,771 rising annually (up to £46,142) Hours: Full time, 37 hours per week Package includes: 30 days annual leave Opportunity: Ideal for experienced practitioners seeking the next career step
Role Purpose
As an Advanced Practitioner Social Worker within the Hospital Interface Service (HIS), you will lead professional practice in a fast-paced hospital environment, ensuring high-quality, strengths-based social work across Adult Social Care.
You will support adults with complex needs during hospital admissions, stays, and discharges, championing a Home First and hopeful social work approach. Collaborating closely with health partners, you will:
- Contribute to timely and person-centred discharge planning
- Reduce unnecessary hospital admissions
- Ensure safe returns home whenever possible
This role is perfect for an experienced, confident social worker ready to advance into advanced practice, leadership, and service development.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide professional leadership and advanced practice within HIS.
- Take oversight of complex cases, offering expert advice on joint working and decision-making.
- Drive safe, timely hospital discharge and admission avoidance using strengths-based and asset-focused approaches.
- Lead safeguarding practice, complex risk management, and mental capacity decision-making.
- Offer high-quality reflective supervision and professional guidance to social workers.
- Collaborate with health colleagues across acute hospitals, intermediate care, and community services.
- Contribute to service development, performance monitoring, and practice quality assurance.
- Act as an expert knowledge-source on legislation, policy, and best practice, including:
- The Care Act
- Mental Capacity Act
- Safeguarding duties
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What We’re Looking For – Essential Skills/Experience
Key Requirements:
- Qualified Social Worker with current registration with Social Work England.
- Extensive post-qualifying experience in Adult Social Care, ideally with hospital-based experience.
- Strong understanding of:
- Hospital discharge guidance
- Care Act 2014
- Mental Capacity Act 2005
- Safeguarding legislation
- Ability to manage complexity, risk, and ethical decision-making in fast-paced environments.
- Experience supporting and supervising practitioners while promoting reflective and strengths-based practice.
- Strong communication, leadership, and partnership skills.
About the Team/Service
The Hospital Interface Service (HIS) is a core component of Somerset’s integrated health and social care system. Based within acute hospitals, the team:
- Supports people to return home safely and avoid unnecessary admissions.
- Helps regain independence post-hospitalisation.
- Adheres to the hopeful social work approach, challenging pessimism and promoting community connection.
Joining HIS means contributing actively to a motivated, skilled, and values-led team that delivers tangible positive outcomes daily.
Additional Information
Key Notes:
- We may offer Skilled Worker visa sponsorship to overseas social workers already residing in the UK if eligible (qualified + registered with Social Work England). Resettlement support is unavailable.
- Essential: Full access to a vehicle for work purposes (transport limitations in Somerset require independent travel).
Reasonable Adjustments:
We welcome applications from disabled individuals and are happy to discuss how to meet candidate requirements from the application stage.
Contact: For informal discussions, email Helen Readdy, Recruitment & Engagement Officer – helen.readdy@somerset.gov.uk
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Application Note: Applications may close early if sufficient candidates apply. Act promptly!
Person Specification
Essential:
✓ Social work qualification ✓ Current and valid registration with Social Work England ✓ Continued Professional Development evidence ✓ Holding or working towards Post-Qualifying Professional Standard ✓ Extensive knowledge in risk management for adults with:
- Physical disabilities
- Sensory impairments
- Learning disabilities
- Dementia
- Other long-term conditions ✓ Experience in supporting staff with complex casework, including:
- Chairing relevant meetings
- Developing action plans with timescales
Other Essential Criteria:
✓ Deep understanding of social care legislation and capacity to apply statutory requirements ✓ System thinking have to reduce demand and costs ✓ Budget management skills ✓ Models ethical decision-making using legal/human rights frameworks ✓ Demonstrates reflective practice and values awareness ✓ Shows confident leadership, arbitrates ethical dilemmas, and fosters team professional growth ✓ Promotes autonomy and self-determination ✓ Critical reflection, challenge, and evidence-based decision-making ✓ Expert professional opinions based on advanced knowledge ✓ Applies legal/policy frameworks in practice ✓ Understands human development, relationships, and environmental impacts ✓ Works autonomously and collaboratively ✓ Risk management expertise (including positive risk-taking) ✓ Knowledge of theory/models for change (individuals, families, groups, communities) ✓ Awareness of regional/national trends affecting social work ✓ Positive social work identity with collaboration initiatives ✓ Change management contributions ✓ Professional resilience and learning environment facilitation ✓ Reflects on own values/limitations, seeks feedback and supervision ✓ Encourages a reflective/learning culture within teams.
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