Adult Social work
in Cardiff
Vibrant city, diverse practice.
About Adult Social Services in Cardiff
Cardiff Adult Social Services provides support to over 4,500 citizens to make sure they receive the support they need to live safe, independent, and fulfilled lives.
We work with people to make sure that they remain at the centre of their care and support planning. To help them make decisions about their own future needs.
This includes access to:
- day centres,
- social activities,
- care services at home,
- contingency planning, and
- accommodation planning.
Introduction to Social work in Cardiff
We have teams of Social Workers and Social Work Assistants that work across 3 main service areas:
- Complex needs and partnerships
- Independent Living and Community Social Care, and
- Strategy Quality and Commissioning
Our Social Work teams are supported by Business Support teams that enable Social Workers to focus on their caseloads.
We want Cardiff to be the best place in Wales to work in Adult Social Care, to be a place where everyone is empowered to reach their full potential, trained to deliver excellent services and supported to have fulfilling and worthwhile roles.
To achieve this, we have set out 10 commitments.
We will:
- Understand our workforce and the challenges we face in recruitment and retention.
- Promote diversity and ensure our workforce is representative of our community.
- Value our staff, reviewing staff salaries nationally and ensuring wherever possible that our rates of pay are fair and competitive.
- Provide a comprehensive induction and training programme which meets the needs of all our staff.
- Provide the support our staff need to carry out their roles, reducing bureaucracy wherever possible and promoting well-being.
- Empower our staff through a Trusted Assessor Approach, with full training, support and ongoing oversight.
- Put in place clear career pathways, growing our own social workers, occupational therapists, care and support workers – supporting them to become qualified and to progress in their careers.
- Ensure that clear management structures are in place to support the well-being of staff and to allow for career progression and development.
- Recognise the importance of our support staff and ensuring effective recruitment and retention in these roles.
- Improve our recruitment processes and promoting the awareness of the benefits of working in Cardiff.
The services
These Social Workers are based in hospitals or in the community to support anyone over the age of 18 who has a care and support need. The team offer services from the first time an individual or family need support and throughout their journey with us.
Our Social Workers are supported by a wider multi-disciplinary team to find the best solutions to help people. The team may include:
- Community and Hospital based Occupational Therapy Teams,
- Social Work Assistants,
- Community Resource Teams,
- Wellbeing Services,
- Day Centres, and
- health colleagues.
We have contractual relationships with a wide range of home care providers and residential care homes in Cardiff, offering a variety of options to meet an individual’s needs.
Within Adult Community Services, there are 3 core teams who ensure that people are supported in the right place at the right time.
Adult and Community Services Teams:
- Case Management Team – for individuals with complex needs.
- Adult Assessment or First Point of Contact Social Work team – made up of Community and Hospital Based Social Workers who undertake assessments with individuals to identify care and support needs.
- Review Team – provide support to individuals by carrying out reviews and assessments to make sure their care and support remains suitable.
Our Mental Health and Specialist Support Services support a range of individuals including people experiencing:
- mental health difficulties,
- drug and alcohol misuse issues, and
- homelessness
The teams work with partners including Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (CAVUHB) and third sector organisations to provide services to individuals and families to help them with the challenges they face and provide ongoing support.
The teams work closely with colleagues in Adult Safeguarding, Housing, and Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.
Mental Health and Specialist Support Services Teams:
Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT)
There are 5 CMHT’s in Cardiff providing multi-disciplinary interventions in partnership with CAVUHB to support people living with mental health difficulties across the city.
Mental health Services for Older people (MHSOP)
Part of the multi-disciplinary team under the regional partnership arrangements with CAVUHB to provide support to citizens and families living with age related mental health conditions.
Emergency Duty Team
This is a regional partnership arrangement with the Vale of Glamorgan Council, hosted and managed by Cardiff Council, to provide an out of hours social services response to all citizens across the two local authority areas, working collaboratively with partner agencies and other emergency services.
The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Team
A partnership arrangement with CAVUHB and the Vale of Glamorgan Council to ensure that the rights of citizens without the capacity to consent to their care and treatment have the appropriate legal safeguards in place.
Forensic Team
A standalone specialist team who provide support, in partnership with CAVUHB, to individuals who are subject to Ministry of Justice (MoJ) restrictions and have co-occurring mental health difficulties.
The Neuropsychiatry Team
This is an all-Wales specialist rehabilitation service managed by CAVUHB for adults with acquired brain injuries and associated mental health difficulties. They provide specialist social worker input for citizens of Cardiff open to this service.
Cardiff Alcohol and Drugs Team and City Centre Social Work Team, Transition Service and Neurodiverse Team
This is a range of specialist service for Cardiff citizens who experience difficulties including substance misuse issues, homelessness and young people leaving care who have care and support needs. These teams work with a range of partners including CAVUHB, third sector organisations and Housing services.
Ty Canna Day Service
A standalone specialist team offering a range of support including one-to-one input, group activities, vocational training, counselling, and peer support to people experiencing mental health difficulties who are open to secondary mental health services.
There are 2 Learning Disability Teams who provide social work advice, information, and support services to adults with Learning Disabilities and their carers. They work closely with wider multi-disciplinary teams to support ongoing complex needs.
As Cardiff is a compact city with good transport links, we have a wide range of opportunities to support adults with learning disabilities. Our approach makes sure that we focus on supporting people to access local activities and integrate into their communities. We work closely with our learning disability health team and other agencies to make sure we meet people’s needs.
There are opportunities for our staff to work with people with a wide range of needs and specialise in an area of interest, such as transitions or dual diagnosis (we have a number of staff who have chosen to train as Approved Mental Health Professionals), if they wish. Many staff who join us temporarily, choose to stay and make their career in Cardiff. This is due to the opportunities to be creative, our high-quality local services, our teams supportive and friendly approach and our passion around promoting individual rights and wellbeing.
Our staff work with people to understand and assess their needs and outcomes so we can develop person centred options.
Our team of Support Planners work closely with individuals who have day opportunity needs. They help them to identify a range of liked and skill building opportunities including:
- mainstream groups,
- volunteering opportunities,
- adult education,
- vocational studies, and
- more specialist day services.
This leads to bespoke packages and improved networks for individuals. The team have access with over 80 local opportunities and this number is growing.
The council has developed a complex needs day service for those individuals who have highly complex behavioural or health needs. The service is community based and focused on developing skills and ensuring least restrictive practice. We have developed this service further for young people in transition and are working alongside education colleagues to develop our local further education courses.
We offer overnight respite via services with two local charities and are planning a new purpose-built respite house to offer the people we support more choice.
It is very important for us to support people to remain local, living near their families and networks and with their own tenancy. This has led to the development of 112 local schemes including a range of houses and flats with support on site. Within our service, we have a supported living team who oversee and monitor our supported living contracts. They also manage vacancies and moves ensuring social workers can focus on supporting the individuals through their move. Most of the schemes are run by third sector charities. We also work closely with an adult placement provider and specialist residential care providers as needed.
We have coproduced a commissioning strategy with local people to agree the direction of service development and are exploring how we can build on coproduction going forward.
What our social workers say
“One of the reasons I love working for Cardiff’s is the strong sense of unity. We’re all dedicated to serving citizens, and we continually welcome new professionals who bring fresh perspectives and expertise.”
“I moved to work in Cardiff after commencing a post within another local authority post qualifying. Since being in Cardiff I feel that my skills and confidence as a social worker have grown significantly. I have fantastic support from my OM, team managers and senior social workers. There is clear structure and direction in the team and in what we are trying to achieve for our citizens. Saying this the team doesn’t provide a one size fits all approach and the team ethos is very much led by a strong desire to be truly strengths based and person centred in practice. Person centred practice is supported via supervision and monthly reflective practice groups, which I have found hugely beneficial. As someone who values professional supervision this has been essential to my development and supervision are held regularly.
As a newly qualified social worker I feel that I have been embraced by the team, particularly in terms of my professional opinion. I feel that my views and opinion are always valued, and I have the confidence to make informed decisions in practice based on my assessments, with the knowledge that support is only on the end of the phone/Teams call or in the office next door. My current team value the importance of having an office presence and this has also supported my development through peer interaction and informal supervision and support.”
Paul (Social Worker)
“Having worked for Cardiff adult services for over 8 years it has been a very rewarding experience and I have really enjoyed working with my team who are very supportive. As a team we regularly meet in the office and have the opportunity to give input regarding our cases and discuss any new processes to ensure best practice. We have access to Flexible hours which has been very beneficial with promoting work/life balance and multiple choices of training courses that support our ongoing professional development. The team also meet once a month socially following the pandemic and this has enabled colleagues to build a good rapport. We have the flexibility of Hybrid working and working for Cardiff Council I feel that they consider their staff wellbeing at the forefront of any decision making to ensure a positive working environment”.
Caroline (Social Worker)
“Our Team are passionate about working with people living with dementia. Achieving more meaningful and fulfilled lives for people living in care homes is amazingly rewarding. Working with like minded people and with the support of the organisation we can achieve amazing results.”
Team Manager, Dementia and Care Quality Team
Our approach to Social Work at Cardiff Council
In Cardiff, Social Workers’ strengths-based practice is holistic and multidisciplinary. It applies to any intervention and can be applied by any profession. Social Workers can work together with varied social care professionals, health professionals and the individual’s own support network to provide the right advice and guidance so that individuals can keep or regain their independence and resilience.
Our approach encourages individuals to identify what has worked for them in the past, what does not work, and what might work in their current situation. We understand individuals will be best placed to identify barriers preventing them moving forward. Social workers support individuals to consider how these barriers can (if possible) be overcome. The Social Worker facilitates this conversation, and it is acknowledged that individuals, carers, and their families are more invested in any process where they feel they are an important part.
We understand there are individuals who are unable to express themselves or communicate clearly. For example, the individual may be overwhelmed by their circumstances, have sensory impairments, require more insight into their challenges, be assessed as not having mental capacity for decision making, or have cognitive challenges that pose a barrier to their understanding. Our strengths-based approach can involve others who have knowledge of what matters to the individual. Social Workers also take the necessary steps to overcome as many barriers as possible to allow an individual to take part (e.g., British Sign Language Interpreters). Social Workers also ensure that all necessary means (i.e., independent advocates, mental capacity, specific times or locations, communication aids, etc.) are used to maximise the involvement of the individual in the process and their ability to take part in conversations.
Our approach is underpinned by a number of key council strategies. View the strategies for more detail on our aims and commitments:
Our Commitment to our Social Workers
Cardiff Adult Services is committed to building the skills, capacity and resilience of Social Workers to have open, honest, and strengths-based conversations with individuals, families, and communities. This commitment is supported by the Social Care Training and Development Team and promotes ongoing individual learning and the quality assurance process to embed learning.
Working for us
Cardiff is a vibrant and diverse capital city with a variety of unique demands and challenges. Social Work Cardiff is at the forefront of developing pioneering social care services that are designed to make a real impact – both now and into the future. You will be at the centre of helping us shape and deliver these services.
Our leadership team will stand by your side, supporting you every step of the way. Our ambition is to support our workforce by reducing caseloads so that social workers can do what they do best; work directly with vulnerable children, adults and families.
Our offer to you
We offer a generous salary that is competitive with other local authorities in the area. We recently introduced an enhanced pay rate for some of our key areas of social work within adult services to make our offer even more desirable.
We have dedicated training officers who are committed to supporting the continuous development of all staff to reach their full potential. We want staff to feel empowered with the necessary skills, knowledge, and confidence to provide our citizens with the best possible care and support.
We recognise the need for flexible learning and development opportunities. We offer a blended learning style which include:
Learning Portal
Self-guided professional development experience including information, practise tools, legislation, policy and procedural updates, and signposting to more resources.
On the Go Learning
Podcasts and talks straight to your phone.
Lunchtime learning
Short information sessions and talks, webinars, mapping, and question and answer opportunities.
Corporate E-Learning portal
Providing access to all staff with a wide range of courses and opportunities to complete training at your own pace.
Classroom-based development
Learning within a formal classroom environment which may include a blended approach to promote self-guided learning to enhance this experience. This is also utilised for any manual handling training.
Training is offered to all social care staff who work with the council including permanent staff, temporary staff, social work students and our social care partners.
Learning Support for Social Work Students
There are excellent learning opportunities for our Social Work students in a variety of settings including placements within our Social Work teams and in third sector partner organisations. We work collaboratively with the universities, to offer a robust model of assessment and quality assure the learning opportunities to make sure they meet the standards set by Social Care Wales. We are also responsible for supporting our social work students throughout each placement.
Once you are qualified, we provide a unique tailored First Three Years in Practice programme as well as mentoring and ongoing support. The strong, cohesive working relationships that we have built with colleagues in the Universities, third sector organisations and within the Local Authority Social Work teams enables us to deliver a comprehensive programme that not only supports you through your first three years in practice but, provides you with the necessary knowledge, skills, practice tools and confidence to progress to the next stage of your social work career.
Mentoring opportunities for Newly Qualified Staff
We offer mentoring and ongoing support as you progress through your career. This includes a specialist First Year in Practice programme with a bespoke training package.
For those who enjoy seeing people develop and grow and are interested in their own continuing professional development, there is the opportunity to become a mentor. As a mentor, you would support Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSW) or, undertake the Enabling Professional Learning (EPL) Award.
A mentor will support NQSW through the First Three Years in Practice consolidation programme and provide mentoring as they start their professional career in Social Work.
The Enabling Professional Learning (EPL) Award will enable post-qualifying students to gain knowledge and skills to supervise and assess social work practice at qualifying or post qualifying levels. After successful completion of the award, participants will achieve a recognised qualification that will enable them to register as a practice educator (PE) with Social Care Wales and support students through their placements.
As a capital city, Cardiff offers a diverse range of cases providing an exciting, challenging and rewarding experience for you to learn and develop as a practitioner.
Our working culture is flexible, with a flexi scheme allowing you to work to a schedule that suits you. At Cardiff we also work agilely, which means you can work from many of our ‘touchpoints’ such as the community hubs which enables us to be closer to the communities we work with. Don’t worry though, you’ll still have a desk and feel part of a strong team culture.
The Council provides a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 27 days per year to a maximum of 32 days per year after 5 years, with the option to purchase additional annual leave to a maximum of 10 days.
You will have access to the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan Pension Fund which is part of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), offering a reputable, secure and flexible pension plan for peace of mind.
Cardiff is frequently found at the top of lists of best cities in the UK to live in.
These include subsidised travel passes, childcare vouchers, cycle to work schemes, pool cars, and canteen facilities provided by Youth Foods. Visit Cardiff Council’s recruitment site to to see a full list of benefits.
MyAdvantages App
MyAdvantages will bring all your Cardiff Council benefits in one place. You can get discounts to help you save on everyday essentials at hundreds of high street retailers, including supermarkets, high street stores, and cinemas.
The discounts include:
- 3% off at Asda and Tesco
- 3.5% off at Sainsburys
- 5.5% off at Marks & Spencer and B&M
- 7.5% off at Costa, Greggs and Pizza Express
- 7% off at Primark
- 20% off at Body Shop
- 4.5% off at Air B&B
- 15% off at Legoland Windsor
- 6.5% off at National Trust
You can also get exclusive deals on Black Friday and throughout the year.
Living in Cardiff
Cardiff is a great place to live. The city boasts a vibrant mix of sights, first-class sporting and music venues, nightlife and amenities. including large stadiums and small world-famous venues.
Cardiff is home to some great shopping including several historical arcades with independent retailers, restaurants and coffee shops.
The city is home to a number of music and theatre venues. With access to a number of museums and the castle there is so much to see and do.
To find out more about what is going on in the city head to the Visit Cardiff website.
Contact us
For all general enquiries, requests or to arrange an informal discussion with any of our team managers about our available posts, please contact our recruitment team.
Or send us a message below.
Images supplied by Visit Wales.
