Social Worker

We are looking for a dynamic and person-centred social worker to join our team. The team has a positive and successful reputation within the South West Provider Collaborative for supporting transition and discharge through the secure pathway.

Lee Mill Low Secure Unit is a 12-bed male inpatient ward set in the small village of Lee Mill just outside of Plymouth. We provide specialist mental health care for men who have often been involved in the legal system due to their mental health needs. The staff at Lee Mill are passionate about providing the highest level of patient centred care to an often challenging and disadvantaged patient group.

Lee Mill is a multi-disciplinary team comprising Psychiatrists, nurses, A Forensic Psychologist, an Occupational Therapy Team, Nursing Associates and Health Care Support staff. All roles are integrated into supporting the progress of our service users and there are close relationships with the Specialist Community Forensic Team.

This role may not be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, please refer to the Direct Gov website for more information with regards to eligibility.

Main duties of the job

We will offer a comprehensive and supportive induction programme working within the field of secure care and can offer and support access to further training and experience. The team receive support from our psychologist with regular reflective practice. Continuing professional development is supported around all professions and training includes specific essential training for staff working within secure services.

If you possess excellent communication skills and ability to work alongside other professionals, families and carers and a passion to improve the lives of the gentlemen within our specialist service we would love to hear from you. We are looking for a person with interest in the field of secure care and in-patient services, working collaboratively and successfully within a multi-disciplinary team, where your skills as a social worker can benefit outcomes such as length of stay and patient and carer experience. This will be an interesting and rewarding opportunity.

A newly qualified social worker (NQSW) must be willing to complete the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), or the Graduate Certificate in Professional Practice if qualified for more than 2 years.

About us

Livewell Southwest is an independent, award-winning social enterprise providing integrated health & social care services for people across Plymouth, South Hams & West Devon, as well as some specialist services for people living in parts of Devon & Cornwall. With teams in community hospitals, GP practices, sports centres, health & wellbeing hubs.

As an organisation with a strong social conscience, we always value being kind, respectful, inclusive, ambitious, responsible and collaborative. Transforming services to make them sustainable, ensuring that we value, support & empower each other.

We are committed to involving the people we care for, families & carers in everything that we do, working towards co-production where we can. Helping us to deliver the right care for people, in the right place & at the right time. By putting people at the centre of what we do, we ensure to support people to lead, healthy independent lives & be the very best at helping people to live well.

Valuing our employees making an investment in their development a priority. We offer:

Protected CPD time for registered staff

Various development pathways and ongoing regular training packages for all staff

Leadership & mentoring programmes

Access & funding for training including Care Certificate, Assistant Practitioners Course & Scholarship Into Nurse Training

A Robust Preceptorship

A bespoke induction programme

Existing members of the NHS Pension Scheme can continue their membership when they join the organisation.

Job description
Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE

Lee Mill is a Low secure Unit supporting the needs of service users who have complex needs and forensic histories through a secure pathway. The role is an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team with the aim to assist and expedite service users through the care pathway in a timely way effecting safe discharges.

The post holder is required to discharge statutory social care functions on behalf of the organisation and to uphold the standards outlined in the Professional Capabilities Framework for Social Work. As such, they are required to undertake complex and proportionate assessments that are evidence-based. Examples include mental capacity assessments and health and social care assessments of people who have a variety of needs that may create a high level of risk to their wellbeing. The post holder is also required to arrange and review the delivery of social care support.

Wherever possible the post holder is required to support people to take risks in complex situations so that their outcomes and wishes are promoted. The post holder is also required to undertake safeguarding investigations and consider decisions made in a persons best interest that may deprive them of their liberty.

The post holder needs to be accountable for;

Their actions or omissions.

Promote and uphold the privacy, dignity, rights, health and wellbeing of people who use health and care services and their carers, at all times.

Work in collaboration with colleagues to ensure the delivery of high quality, safe and compassionate healthcare, care and support.

Communicate in an open and effective way to promote the health, safety and wellbeing of people who use health and care services and their carers.

Strive to improve the quality of care and support through continuing professional development (CPD)

Uphold and promote equality, diversity and inclusion.

To be legally literate with the Care Act (2014), the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and Human Rights Act (1998). To have a good understanding of the Mental Health Act (1983) and its subsequent amendments and the Children Act (1989).

To have an awareness of national policy and guidelines and how these should be used in practice.

Preparing legal documents for court and representing the organisation in a court setting.

SCOPE AND RANGE

Social workers primarily work with people in complex situations. Complex is defined as - unpredictable or ambiguous situations where the person may be resistant, coerced or a significant risk to self and others. These situations are often time-consuming owing to the multiple factors that have led the person to becoming socially excluded. Decisions require proportionality and analysis of many different views and factors, such as psychological, biological, legal, environmental and economical.

Livewell Southwest is fully committed to an integrated health and social care workforce which operates a shared skills model, whilst adhering to the core principles of the social work profession.

MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibility for People Management

Supervise and/or train students and Band 5 colleagues as and when required to ensure their practice is safe and professional.

Provide supervision on a 1:1 basis or through peer supervision as and when required to ensure practice is safe and professional.

Support the delivery of induction training for new staff within the service as and when required to ensure practice is safe and professional.

Responsibility for financial and/or physical resources

Responsibility for the occasional short-term security of a persons cash, legal documentation or valuable items (e.g. house keys) until they can be securely deposited.

Duty to consider best value option when planning for peoples care and support.

Responsibility for administration

Plan and organise day-to-day work using an online calendar, recording systems, and workload management tools (that are available on the intranet) in accordance with departmental guidelines.

Ensure records are timely, kept up-to-date, accurate and used in accordance with the GDPR and organisational guidelines.

Have a good understanding of the various computer programmes essential for the completion of daily work, such as Microsoft office.

Arrange and plan meetings with colleagues and/or people who use services and be willing to chair them if required.

Responsibility for people who use our services

Maintain contact with people who use our services either face-to-face, telephone or assistive technology such as video links and conference calls.

Design, implement and review care and support plans, which may involve the input of other professionals /disciplines.

Work to a number of protocols/procedures such as lone working, risk management and health and safety.

Complete carers assessments and seek feedback from people who use the service.

Learning some basic clinical skills to enable the undertaking of holistic assessments and liaison with the multi-disciplinary team.

Take an asset-based approach, including signposting to universal services, advice and information and considering the persons links and integration with their community and services such as advocacy.

Duty of candour and supporting people to make complaints if they wish too.

Responsibility for implementation of policy and/or service developments

Contribute ideas (and advocate on behalf of the people who use our services) towards the development and implementation of policies and/or services.

Work in other teams and across the organisation in order to support organisational demands and pressures.

Represent the team/organisation on planning or developmental groups as and when required.

A flexible and adaptable approach to organisational change.

Other Responsibilities

Correct use of computer hardware/software; security; processing and generating information; creating, updating and maintaining information databases.

Awareness of current social care research trends and to take part in development activities, such as Safeguarding Adult Reviews.

COMMUNICATIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

Maintain positive working relationships and communicate clearly with team colleagues, line manager, other professionals, people who use our service and their families/carers which may include highly sensitive issues.

Listen to and work in partnership with the people who use our services and families and carers.

Maintain professional conduct and communicate clearly when faced with competing demands and in situations that are potentially highly emotive, such as being challenged by families or other professionals.

Present evidence-based decisions and judgements about potentially complex/ ambiguous situations in a manner fit for the audience. This includes writing court reports, explaining legal requirements to people and their families and projecting social work values in a multi-disciplinary setting.

PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL DEMANDS OF THE JOB

Travel between different offices to attend meetings.

Visit people at home, community setting (e.g. café), hospital, care home or prison. Visiting people in their own homes may be prejudicial to health and wellbeing. Some visits may be out of county and on occasion may require an overnight stay. Protective equipment may be required such as gloves and facemask in certain settings.

Sitting at a computer either in office or remote working (refer to DSE policy).

Take pro-active steps to maintain self-care and resilience (e.g. through the use of supervision, occupational health services etc.)