Social Worker

Are you passionate about working with children, young people, families and communities who have been affected by trauma? Do you have experience working with people in creative, innovative ways? Are you a social worker who wants to make a difference to the lives of people with serious mental health issues? To develop and practice your social work skills within a community mental health service that is responsive to the varied needs of our client group? You will be an enthusiastic, outgoing person with experience of engaging diverse communities and creating appropriate mental health interventions in collaboration with residents and organisations . We would be particularly interested in applications from people who live/have worked within the local North Kensington community.

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Main duties of the job

The successful post holder will be able to engage local residents in health and wellbeing services and be able to work flexibly, positively, creatively and sensitively within a very challenging and fast-changing context, whilst maintain excellent relationships with individuals and community organisations.

We would welcome applications form those who speak another language, particularly Arabic and Farsi.

Working for our organisation

The NHS Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service is a specialist service set up in response to the fire at Grenfell Tower in June 2017.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

- To work in partnership with service users, families and carers to meet social care needs within a range of highly complex
- To work together with the Neighbourhood Lead and Clinical Leads to provide an effective service for service users, their families and carers by ensuring access to appropriate resources from a range of external agencies on a national level.
- To make referrals where appropriate and to provide and access advocacy, information and guidance for service users, carers and agencies
- To work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team exercising social work professional responsibility for providing highly specialist assessments and follow-up referrals with complex problems, which includes assessment of risk in terms of self-harm, self-neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic violence, safeguarding children and adults.
- To coordinate care for service users by undertaking risk assessments and plans for aftercare informed by specialist knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004, the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Care Act 2014, in accordance with policy guidance and procedures.
- To engage service users and their families providing direct work as appropriate to support positive parenting and mental health recovery.
- To contribute to the service and the neighbourhood teams and work with the MDT to provide a high quality service to the local communities
- To work as part of the multi-disciplinary team, contributing to case work and planning meetings as appropriate and to contribute to the delivery of highly specialist evidence-based mental health assessment, care planning, treatment and review for service users.
- To contribute to complex risk assessment and ongoing risk management and safety planning in the community. To contribute to safe discharge planning and arrangements in accordance with child safeguarding, mental health legislation, policy and procedures.
- To provide social work consultation, training and advice to the Neighbourhood services. Making connection to the local authority Social Worker where appropriate.
- To work closely with Neighbourhood Leads and Clinical leads in the implementation of child safeguarding practices, promoting the welfare of children and to follow national, London, and CNWL child protection policies and procedures. To attend local and out of area multi agency child safeguarding meetings as required.
- To implement adult safeguarding procedures in accordance with inter- agency and trust Procedures for Safeguarding Adults including domestic abuse.
- To work closely and effectively with a variety of other professional disciplines and external statutory and independent agencies to meet the complex needs of users and their carers within the hospital and or community setting.
- To be aware of the needs of children their families from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious and social backgrounds. To apply social work ethical principles and values and to use critical reflection and analysis to respect diversity and to guide professional practice in sensitive and innovative ways.
- To promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, maintaining an awareness of the equality and diversity policy and working to create and maintain a safe, supportive and welcoming environment where all people are treated with dignity and their identity and culture are valued and respected
- To attend professional social work meetings to promote continuous professional development. To maintain links with the local authority social work services and to attend meetings as required.
- To undertake CNWL mandatory training.
- To produce and write complex reports and complete agreed core tasks for CNWL undertaking procedural and administrative duties related to the social work function.
- To ensure information is recorded consistently, accurately and meets statutory timescales. To ensure service user confidentiality is maintained and information is shared with the service user, carer and other agencies in accordance Trust data protection requirements.
- To assist in appropriate service developments, quality assurance audits and research as deemed appropriate and in consultation with the PMOA Safeguarding Lead and the Neighbourhood lead.
- To carry out the duties and responsibilities of the post, in accordance with Trust Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety legislation.

Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

- Current Professional Qualification in Social work. Recognised social work qualification Dip SW, CQSW, CSS
- Registered with Social Work England
- Evidence of post registration training and CPD.

Desirable criteria

- Training in Psychosocial Interventions or Family Therapy/Work training
- Other relevant training, e.g. Trauma, Mental health/ families

Experience
Essential criteria

- Substantial post-registration experience
- Experience of working in multidisciplinary mental health team with clients with mental health problems
- Experience of working with children and families

Desirable criteria

- Work with clients with acute/severe and enduring mental health problems including Trauma
- Supervision of students and junior staff
- Audit and research; Teaching; Working with people who use substances

Skills
Essential criteria

- Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate a comprehensive care package for the identified client group, using a wide range of resources
- Skills in risk assessment and management
- Can demonstrate understanding of the needs of diverse groups, e.g. residents of inner city; black and minority ethnic groups, and skills in engaging with them
- Able to build constructive relationships with clients and carers using warmth and empathy, using good communication skills
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing and presentations / IT skills.
- Able to develop a comprehensive programme of intervention and support for the identified client group and their families
- Knowledge of current legislation and guidance applicable to this client group.
- Can demonstrate understanding of psychosis and its impact on service users and carers.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing and presentations / IT skills
- Skills in psychosocial interventions

Desirable criteria

- Basic counselling and group work skills
- Dual diagnosis/substance misuse
- Skills in leadership: ability to motivate others, use initiative and manage change.

Other
Essential criteria

- Declared medically fit by the Occupational Health dept. to perform the duties of the post following successful interview as part of employment checks
- The post-holder must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.