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Mental Health Social Work Lead
Job Type
Permanent
Reference
NDD-001096
Salary
Location
£49,397 - £56,515
Posted Date
30 June 2026
London
Closing Date
13 July 2026
Job summary
Bring your social work leadership to a team that is making a difference every day - Band 7 Social Worker vacancy now open in MHWT South.
Main duties of the job
Working closely with colleagues across health, social care and the voluntary sector, the Band 7 Social Worker will support integrated working and promote best practice in care planning, discharge planning, safeguarding, and social inclusion. The role also includes contributing to service development, supervision of staff, and promoting the social work perspective within the wider multidisciplinary team
About us
NELFT NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services for over 4.9 million people living in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and across Essex. We work to ensure our patients, their friends and family, feel confident that their health needs are well met. With an excellent reputation for research and development, our skilled health professionals are at the cutting edge of evidence-based innovation, opening up the possibilities for better ways of working and delivery of care.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Overview
We are seeking an experienced, motivated and compassionate Band 7 Social Worker to join the Mental Health and Wellness Team South (MHWT South). This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled social worker to play a key role in delivering high quality, recovery focused mental health care within a busy and supportive multidisciplinary community team.
The post holder will provide strong professional leadership for social work practice within the team, ensuring that service users receive person centred, strengths based and trauma informed support. They will carry a complex caseload and lead on safeguarding, risk management, mental capacity, and social care interventions for adults with severe and enduring mental health needs.
Working closely with colleagues across health, social care and the voluntary sector, the Band 7 Social Worker will support integrated working and promote best practice in care planning, discharge planning, safeguarding, and social inclusion. The role also includes contributing to service development, supervision of staff, and promoting the social work perspective within the wider multidisciplinary team.
This post is ideal for a confident practitioner who is passionate about improving outcomes for people with mental health needs and who can demonstrate sound professional judgement, effective partnership working, and a commitment to high standards of practice.
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are:
-We are kind.
-We are respectful.
-We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Starting with NELFT NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend a number of drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Goodmayes Hospital.
Probationary Period This post will be subject to a probationary period.
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15%of the basic salary (minimum payment of £4,870 and a maximum payment of £6,1371 - per annum, pro rata for part time) Certificates of Sponsorship Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust. .
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.
NAME Suzette Goodlitt
JOB TITLE Operational Lead CONTACT NUMBER 0300 555 1268 EMAIL suzette.goodlitt@nelft.nhs.uk
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
-Current registration with Social Work England as a qualified Social Worker, with a clear commitment to maintaining professional standards and accountability.
Desirable
-Demonstrable evidence of continuing professional development, including the application of learning to practice, service improvement, and the professional development of others.
Experience
Essential
-Extensive experience of leading social work practice with service users who present with complex mental health, social care, safeguarding, and risk needs.
Desirable
-Experience of contributing to service redesign, project work, audit, and quality improvement initiatives.
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