Social Care Employment Benefits

What can you expect if you come to work in Social Care in Powys.

Competitive Pay

We acknowledge that money may not be all that matters to you and whilst we have a lot to offer in Powys in terms of location and salary, Powys Social Care also have a supportive management structure as well as a range of other benefits including those which are available to all staff.   

Full salary information for individual roles is included in job adverts and if you need to relocate there is a generous relocation package.

Induction

Powys Social Care has a comprehensive induction programme to support new members of staff into their roles.

Supervision and Appraisals

All staff receive regular supervision and an annual appraisal as well as ongoing support as required from their manager.

Mentoring

We have supported a number of staff to undertake mentor training to provide additional support to our teams whilst fostering a culture of continuous learning in a safe environment.  As part of their role, our mentors work closely with our senior managers to develop and improve our services.  To support caseworkers further in their implementation of strengths-based practice, we have developed a library of exemplars.

Peer Reflection

We support our social workers via team reflective sessions, enabling them to reflect on their practice and ongoing continuing professional development whilst also sharing learning. 

Training and Development

If you are looking for an organisation to progress your career in Powys is the place for you.  Powys Social Care invests in all employees to make sure that they have the right skills, training and experiences to provide a first-class service to the residents of Powys. We have a comprehensive learning and development programme to support all staff in professional development to deliver the kind of work expected of them.  

Powys Social Care support a "grow your own" ethos and annually put forward candidates to undertake the Social Work and Occupational Therapy degree training.  However, our "grow your own" ethos is wider than social work and occupational therapy and we have seen staff progress to a variety of promoted roles including up to senior manager level.

We will support employees to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date and to continually strive for improvement.

Newly Qualified Social Workers

To provide a robust support package to our Newly Qualified Social Workers we have implemented and strengthened the national First Three Years in Practice Framework. By way of additional support, we have developed new Practice Guidance, which includes the following key areas:

• A longer more robust induction period with extended shadowing opportunities in order to build networks and knowledge of local services and teams.
• Facilitated monthly support groups for all Newly Qualified Social Workers.
• Incremental guidance on the workload and complexity of the workload.
• Regular mentoring and supervision
• A day each month in your first year of practice to work on your own personal development and portfolio of practice.
• Regular developmental reviews with the workforce development team.

Health & Care Academy

We have worked in collaboration with our partners to develop a Health and Care Academy in Powys which offers face-to-face and digital enabled learning opportunities.  They have four specialist areas:  

• School of Research, Development and Innovation
• School of Leadership
• School of Volunteers and Carers
• School of Professional and Clinical Education and Training - to employees in the health and care sector, to those looking for a career in the sector and to volunteers and unpaid carers who support the sector.

The Powys Health and Care Academy is part of a Wales-wide response to increasing access to education and training across the health and care sector and is being further developed with the intention that it will be the core provider in the county by 2027.

The Health and Care Academy is the place to go for both training and support for anyone looking to start a new career in the health and social care sector in Powys. It can provide coaching and training, give advice on your job prospects and career pathways, help to prepare you for employment, with mentoring support along the way and signpost you to work experience and voluntary roles.

Engagement

Powys Social Care team members are encouraged by the Senior Leadership team to put forward innovative ideas for improvement, provide feedback and identify good news stories.  The Director of Social Services has created an employee representative group which staff are encouraged to join, this meeting is attended by the Director of Social Services, Heads of Service and Senior Managers and there is no topic "off limits".

A Clear Vision and Improvement Objectives

In Powys Social Care, we believe that everyone is unique, with strengths and hopes as well as needs.  We will support people to live the best life they can, and by focussing on what matters, we will work alongside people to help them find the right solutions for themselves.

Our vision is aligned to our Corporate Plan and the Powys Health and Care Strategy which seeks to promote independence and self-care wherever possible through a strengths-based approach. 

In Adult Social Care we have 7 key objectives that help us to manage demand for our services, whilst looking to deliver the best possible outcomes for our residents:

Front Door - we operate an effective front door which provides information, advice and signposting which enables residents to make informed choices in relation to their care and wellbeing.  We focus on resolution at the earliest opportunity for the resident.

Hospital - to achieve the best possible outcomes for residents, we work with NHS partners to have in place a set of arrangements that allow for the transfer of people out of hospital as quickly as possible

Partnership - we work with Powys Teaching Health Board to adopt and reinvigorate a recovery approach to all health and social care services.

Community - we work to ensure that there is timely, targeted and effective use of reablement, rehabilitation and support.  We focus on enabling independence and self-management and avoiding the over-prescription of care.

Long Term Care - we work alongside residents with long-term care needs to have a care and support plan with a focus on achieving the maximum possible independence (as far as is realistic and possible for their individual circumstances) and delivers the desired outcome.

Workforce - we have in place a workforce that is fully trained and supported to work with people needing social care which fits with the ethos and principles of the Council.

Management - we collate and analyse data to help us understand whether there has been an impact on the delivery of outcomes and the management of demand on our services.