Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Adult Social Worker

🎯 Role Definition

An Adult Social Worker provides statutory assessments, care planning, safeguarding and care coordination for adults with care and support needs, including older people, people with disabilities, mental health needs and those with learning disabilities. This role delivers person‑centred practice in line with legislation (Care Act, Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards), works collaboratively with health and voluntary sector partners, and leads timely, evidence‑based interventions to promote independence, reduce risk and support safe community living.

Key responsibilities include adult safeguarding enquiries, needs and carer assessments, development and review of care plans, commissioning and reviewing care packages, court and provider liaison, advocacy, risk management, and maintaining high‑quality records to meet regulatory and audit requirements.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Assistant Social Worker / Social Work Assistant
Care Coordinator or Care Team Leader in adult services
Newly qualified Social Worker (ASYE / NQSW programme)

Advancement To:

Senior Social Worker / Practice Lead
Team Manager / Service Manager (Adult Services)
Safeguarding Lead / Specialist Practitioner (e.g., Mental Health, Learning Disabilities)

Lateral Moves:

Care Act Assessor / Community Care Manager
Care Coordination or Brokerage / Commissioning Officer
Occupational Therapy Assistant or Integrated Care roles

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive, person‑centred statutory assessments under the Care Act to identify strengths, risks and eligible care and support needs; produce clear, evidence‑based assessment reports and recommendations for care planning.
Develop, implement and regularly review individualised care and support plans that promote independence, dignity and choice, ensuring plans reflect service user goals, carer needs and risk mitigation strategies.
Lead adult safeguarding enquiries and Section 42 investigations, coordinate multi‑agency safeguarding meetings, produce safeguarding plans, and ensure actions are implemented promptly to protect adults at risk.
Apply the Mental Capacity Act to assess capacity, complete best interest decision processes, prepare Mental Capacity documentation and, where appropriate, coordinate Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) referrals and reviews.
Manage a complex caseload of adults with diverse needs (dementia, acquired brain injury, mental health, learning disabilities, physical disabilities), prioritising based on risk and statutory duties while ensuring timely interventions.
Advocate for service users and carers, representing their views and wishes in multidisciplinary meetings, hospital discharge planning, community team reviews and where necessary in legal or tribunal settings.
Coordinate safe, timely hospital discharges and transfers of care by liaising with acute trusts, community health teams, housing providers and families to avoid delayed discharges and reduce readmission risk.
Carry out comprehensive risk assessments and produce evidence‑based risk management plans, balancing protection and empowerment while documenting rationale for actions taken.
Commission and negotiate appropriate care and support packages, review commissioned services for quality and value, and work with brokerage teams to source specialist placements or domiciliary providers.
Prepare and present written reports, chronologies and concise evidence for safeguarding reviews, care conferences, court proceedings and mental health tribunals, ensuring timeliness and legal compliance.
Facilitate and chair multidisciplinary case conferences and care planning meetings, ensuring effective communication, role clarity among partners and follow‑up of agreed actions.
Support, advise and work with unpaid carers, conducting carer assessments, signposting to respite and supportive services and embedding carer views into care plans.
Maintain accurate, contemporaneous case records and documentation on local IT systems in line with data protection, audit and regulatory frameworks (CQC standards or local equivalents).
Provide crisis intervention and short‑term intensive support to adults presenting with immediate safety, housing or mental health issues, including safeguarding, emergency placements and referrals.
Identify and refer to specialist community resources (rehabilitation, reablement, housing options, assistive technology) to promote independence, prevent avoidable admissions and delay deterioration.
Undertake mental health act liaison when required, supporting detention processes, providing social care input and working collaboratively with psychiatric services.
Carry out financial and benefits welfare checks related to care funding, support planning around self‑funding, supported payments or Direct Payments/Personal Budgets and advise on charging policy.
Contribute to service development, quality improvement projects and local operational policies, bringing frontline insight into pathway redesign, preventative services and performance metrics.
Provide professional supervision, mentoring and practice development to junior staff, social work students and care coordinators, supporting reflective practice and compliance with professional standards.
Deliver culturally competent, anti‑oppressive practice and adapt interventions for diverse communities, ensuring equity of access and consideration of language, faith and protected characteristics.
Respond to safeguarding and new referral duty systems (front door), prioritise enquiries and manage effective signposting for early help and prevention to reduce long‑term dependency.
Ensure compliance with statutory timeframes, record‑keeping expectations and audit requirements; support legal processes such as court hearings, Family Court or civil proceedings where social care evidence is required.
Participate in rota‑based out‑of‑hours or duty systems where required, providing professional assessment and safeguarding decisions during emergency situations.
Engage in continuous professional development, maintain registration with the regulator (e.g., Social Work England / relevant body), and complete required post‑qualifying training relevant to adult social care specialisms.

Secondary Functions

Support service performance reporting by providing timely activity data and qualitative case summaries for audits and funding reviews.
Contribute to multidisciplinary service improvement initiatives such as reablement programs, falls prevention strategies and transitional care pathways.
Assist with commissioning reviews, provider quality assurance visits and contractual discussions to maintain high standards of commissioned care.
Participate in community outreach, education sessions or public information events to raise awareness of adult social care services and prevention options.
Provide occasional training sessions or briefings to partner agencies on social care processes, safeguarding thresholds and best practice in adult protection.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Statutory adult social care assessment and care planning (Care Act compliant practice).
Adult safeguarding practice, Section 42 enquiries and multi‑agency protection planning.
Mental Capacity Act application, best interests decision making and DoLS process knowledge.
Competent case recording and report writing for statutory reviews, safeguarding, tribunals and court; familiarity with electronic social care systems (e.g., LiquidLogic, Mosaic, SWIFT or local equivalents).
Risk assessment and risk management planning for complex presentations (self‑neglect, hoarding, substance misuse, mental ill‑health).
Knowledge of commissioning processes, brokerage and contracting for domiciliary care, supported living and residential placements.
Ability to produce succinct legal and statutory documentation, court statements and formal chronologies.
Understanding of community health pathways, discharge planning, reablement and integrated care systems.
Basic digital literacy: MS Office (Word, Excel), secure email, case management systems and telehealth platforms.
Awareness of relevant legislation and regulatory frameworks (Care Act, Mental Capacity Act, Mental Health Act, Data Protection/GDPR).

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills to liaise with service users, families and multi‑disciplinary teams clearly and empathetically.
Strong assessment and clinical reasoning skills to prioritise interventions and justify professional decisions.
Resilience and ability to manage emotional complexity, crisis situations and a high‑volume caseload.
Negotiation and advocacy skills to secure appropriate services and represent adult interests in challenging contexts.
Organisational skills and time management to meet statutory deadlines, court dates and review schedules.
Cultural competence and anti‑discriminatory practice to work effectively with diverse communities.
Collaborative team working and the ability to influence partner agencies and providers.
Reflective practice and openness to supervision, feedback and continuous professional development.
Problem solving and creative use of resources to support people to remain independent at home.
Confidentiality, professional integrity and ethical decision‑making under pressure.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) or equivalent professional social work qualification leading to registration.

Preferred Education:

Master of Social Work (MSW) or post‑qualifying specialist training (e.g., specialist practice in adult social care, safeguarding or mental health).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Social Work
Adult Health and Social Care
Mental Health or Community Care Studies
Psychology or related allied health/social sciences

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1–5 years post‑qualifying experience in adult social work or equivalent; newly qualified candidates completing ASYE/NQSW may be considered for entry‑level roles.

Preferred:

3+ years of demonstrable experience with statutory adult social care duties including safeguarding enquiries, complex casework, care planning and multi‑agency collaboration; experience working in integrated health and social care teams or hospital discharge settings is highly desirable.
Registration with the relevant professional regulator (e.g., Social Work England or equivalent) and a clean DBS/CRB check where applicable.