SHSCT Social Work Lead MDT Band 8A

Job details

• Branch: Southern HSC Trust area (SHSCT)
• Location: SHSCT Trustwide
• Directorate: Adult Community and Acute Services
• Salary: Band 8a (£55,690 - £62,682 )
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Opening Date: 22/10/26
• Closes: Thu, 05 November 2026 @ 4:00 PM
• Interview Dates: To be confirmed.

Notes

Online and Manual applications accepted. If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week. Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Primary Care Social Work Lead

BAND: Band 8a

DIRECTORATE: Adult Community Services

LOCATION: SHSCT

REPORTS TO: Operations Manager

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Head of Services MDT Social Work.

FLEXIBLE WORKING 0.6 WTE (This post will require flexibility in

PROVISIONS AVAILABLE working hours depending on the needs of the service)

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will be responsible for leading, managing and co-ordinating a primary care social work service of band 7 primary care social workers and band 4 social work assistants. Primary care multi-disciplinary teams are a new service aimed at enhancing the services available to people at primary care level. These teams are intended to deliver the vision set out in Delivering Together of an increased emphasis on a holistic model of health and wellbeing which includes physical, mental and social wellbeing with a greater focus on prevention and early intervention.

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

Service Delivery

To be managerially accountable and responsible for a primary care social work service.

To ensure that appropriate systems, policies, procedures, governance and management arrangements are in place in the primary care social work service.

Setting Direction

To lead the development of primary care social work services.

To promote and develop the role of social work in community development.

To promote and develop the concepts of primary care multi-disciplinary teams.

Collaborative Working

To develop partnerships and effective working relationships with other professional leaders and managers working in primary care.

7. To develop partnerships and effective working relationships between primary care social work services and Trust social work and social care services.

8. To develop partnerships and effective working relationships with key strategic partners in health services.

9. To develop partnerships and effective working relationships with key strategic partners in community based services.

10. To work in coproduction with service users, carers and local communities to develop appropriate services.

Strategic and Resource Development

11. Work in coproduction with the local community and other stakeholders to support and grow community capacity and resources that meets the needs of the local population.

12. Plan strategically for population social well-being initiatives.

13. Participate and/or lead on any appropriate fora in relation to community well-being and development.

Staff Management

14. Provide line management and professional supervision for social work practitioners working in the primary care social work service.

15. To contribute to senior social work management and supervision arrangements in the HSC Trust.

Information Management

16. Collate, analyse and use primary care social work data for the purposes of planning, quality improvement and service development.

Financial and Resource Management

17. Manage and monitor the use of a seed funding budget in primary social care.

18. Manage and monitor budgets including the requisitioning and use of goods and services and meeting contract compliance requirements.

19. To deliver all budgetary requirements for primary care social work

services.

General Responsibilities

20. Participate in a programme of formal and informal supervision and training and take responsibility for your own personal and professional development in line with NISCC professional registration standards.

21. Maintain appropriate records in line with Trust policies for the service. Ensure that all service user and service information is maintained, updated, stored and disposed of in keeping with the requirements of the service and all legislative and regulatory requirements.

22. Deputise for the HOS as appropriate.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trust supports and promotes a culture of collective leadership where those who have responsibility for managing other staff:

1 Establish and promote a supportive, fair and open culture that encourages and enables all parts of the team to have clearly aligned goals and objectives, to meet the required performance standards and to achieve continuous improvement in the services they deliver.

2 Ensure access to skills and personal development through appropriate training and support.

3 Promote a culture of openness and honesty to enable shared learning.

4 Encourage and empower others in their team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through regular supportive conversation and shared decision making.

5 Adhere to and promote Trust policy and procedure in all staffing matters, participating as appropriate in a way which underpins Trust values.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

6 The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency. The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Southern Health & Social Care Trust’s Raising Concerns Policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The post holder will be required to

7 Ensure the Trust’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his /her own actions and those of any staff for whom he /she has responsibility.

8 Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents /incidents /equipment defects to his / her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

9 Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example

Smoke Free Policy

IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct

Standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour

10 Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

11 Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

12 All employees of the Southern Health & Social Care Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Southern Health & Social Care Trust including patients / clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

13 Take responsibility for his / her own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise his / her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

14 Represent the Trust’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients / clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he /she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within the Trust's area, as needs of the service demand.

eHealth

The Southern Health & Social Care Trust has invested in eHealth to deliver better, faster, safer care to our community and is committed to supporting staff to utilise associated information systems that directly and indirectly inform care. Trust staff are therefore required to commit sufficient time to ensure that they acquire and/or retain the core technology skills required to support their role.

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE AND BAND: Social Work Lead 8a

DEPARTMENT / DIRECTORATE: Adult Community Services

HOURS: 22.5 hours (0.6 WTE ) initially

Ref No: Sept 23

Notes to applicants

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note the Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor

Criteria

Ideally no more than 6-8 criteria in this section

Method of Assessment

Experience

Must have a minimum of 3 years post-qualifying experience at Band 7 level or equivalent.

Must have line management or supervision experience.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Qualifications/ Registration

Must hold a professional Social Work qualification.

Must have current registration with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC) on the social work part of the register.

Other

Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Skills / Abilities

Must have experience of working in community development projects or services.

Interview / Test

Knowledge

Must be able to demonstrate experience of delivering service improvement initiatives.

Must be able to demonstrate experience of working in partnership with other services

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

SECTION 3: these will ONLY be used where it is necessary to introduce additional job related criteria to ensure files are manageable. You should therefore make it clear on your application form how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted

Have previous experience working in primary care.

Qualifications

INCLUDE FOR SENIOR POSTS (Band 8a or above) IF RELEVANT

Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will need to demonstrate at interview that they have the required competencies to be effective in this demanding leadership role. The competencies concerned are set out in the NHS Healthcare Leadership Model, details of which can be found at http://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/resources/healthcare-leadership-model. Particular attention will be given to the following dimensions:

Inspiring shared purpose

Leading with care

Evaluating information

Connecting our service

Sharing the vision

Engaging the team

Holding to account

Developing capability

Influencing for results.

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

To access a copy of the Access NI Code of Practice, please Click here

The Southern Health & Social Care Trust has guidance on the Recruitment of People with Criminal Convictions. To access a copy of this guidance, please Click Here

Protecting and using your information

To access a copy of the Trust’s Data Protection Policy Statement,

Click Here

THE TRUST IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times