Recognition, support and work-life balance: Dorset adult social care’s recipe for job satisfaction

By Steve Crocker, principal social worker, Dorset County Council

Maintaining the startling beauty of Dorset takes commitment, dedication and effort and these are attributes mirrored in our approach to social care.

We believe that to make life better for our communities and the people who use our service, we need a strong, vibrant and supported workforce. And here’s just some of the ways we do this:

– Quality supervision

We have a strong ethos of quality reflective supervision to help our practitioners grow and develop. The strong mentoring approach within our teams means that you will get support that helps build your confidence and enhance your practice.

– Strengths-based and person-centred practice

At Dorset County Council our established focus on strengths-based and person-centred social work means we work with our communities to improve wellbeing. Our principal social worker and principal occupational therapist also ensure that in Dorset, you will always be at the forefront of practice innovation.

– Fulfil your ambitions

Want to specialise? Our workers have clear career pathways and, via our performance and development reviews, the support they need to realise their ambitions, whether that’s to be a best interests assessor, a practice educator or something else entirely.

– Be recognised

In Dorset your good work won’t go unnoticed. Monthly Good Practice Awards are just one of the ways we celebrate the fantastic work our social workers do.

– A great career start

For newly qualified social workers we offer an excellent and structured Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE) scheme built around the expectations of the knowledge and skills statements.

– Reflective learning

To complement our wealth of classroom and online training courses, we have reflective learning groups that bring practitioners together to share good practice in a way that will contribute to your continued professional development.

– Clarity on roles and responsibilities

We have embedded the Professional Capabilities Framework and standards of proficiency in our internal competency frameworks so that Dorset social workers are clear about their roles and responsibilities.

– Work-life balance

We know working in adult care can be both challenging and rewarding and that is why we are committed to ensuring you can balance the demands of job. In Dorset you will be working for a council that recognises the importance of work-life balance, will help you develop the resilience skills you need, and offers the potential for flexible working.