Senior Social Worker

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Social Worker, you will provide a high standard of support and care delivery with regards to social work needs to those service users whose ability to cope with the tasks of living are threatened or impaired by mental health issues, emotional, psychological and social problems.

You will work closely with other agencies and individuals to support service users with a clear focus on recovery, social inclusion and social justice.

About us

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.

Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.

We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

Our strategy

Our mission is what we set out to do every dayWe deliver brilliant care through brilliant people

Our vision is where we want to be in the futureTo provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.

Check out our recruitment videos Recruitment - YouTube

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.

Person Specification

Registration

Essential

Registered with Social Work England

Qualifications

Essential

Relevant Professional Qualifications DipSW, BA, MA in Social Work, CQSW
PEPS 2 qualified Practice Educator
The post holder should be working at the level of capability set out in the Professional Capability Framework at the Advanced Practitioner/Professional Educator/ Social Work Manager level

Desirable

Additional qualifications e.g. qualified AMHP or Best Interest Assessor, or other relevant continued professional development.

Experience

Essential

Significant prior experience working with individuals presenting with mental health issues.
Demonstrate a significant understanding in relationship based social work practice
An understanding of the principles and values underlying the Mental Health Act (1983, as amended 2007) and Mental Capacity Act (2005); Human Rights Act 1998; Care Act 2014; Health and Social Care Act 2012; and other legislation as they relate to this service user group.
Evidence your ability to develop effective working relationships with service users and their carer's and show evidence of good assessment practice.
Prior experience working in mental health services
Experience of providing consultation, mentoring, and developing colleagues and liaising with other service providers.
Work as part of a Multi-disciplinary team.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

Ability to manage a complex case load and act as lead professional
Ability to assess and manage effectively the performance and development needs of social work staff (pcf, cpd, KSS)
Ability to identify ways to overcome issues that threaten delivery of services, escalating risks where appropriate and dealing with emergency/crisis situations
To apply social work ethical principles and values to guide professional practice.
Ability to apply a number of holistic therapeutic social work interventions from strengths based perspective promoting recovery and independence.
Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to undertake direct work with complex clients, including the hard to engage, to address their psychosocial support needs.
Good working knowledge of models and treatment of mental disorder.
Significant experience of the social model in mental health and approaches to social work intervention including complex family dynamics and carers support.
To have the ability to support service users through a process of recovery and self-determination in order to support them to recognise there rights and needs to be free to make their own choices and decisions
Ability to effectively manage case administration, maintain appropriate records including report writing.
Ability to cope with high demand and throughput.
Ability to use and understand the supervisory process, work to timescales be self-managing and proactive in caseload management.