Social Worker

Job summary

All Social Workers must be registered with Social Work England. As a Social Worker, you will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, providing high quality social care services to adults of all ages experiencing mental ill-health. The core functions of the role will be to provide assessment, care planning and coordination of care from a social perspective to adults accessing the service. You will deliver recovery-focused care and support to service users and their carers that is focused on the principles of choice, control, and independence, as well as ensuring safety. You will act as a champion of social care and safeguarding in your locality.You will actively address adversity and will support adults at risk of social inclusion and assist adults accessing support to deal with a range of adverse circumstances. You will actively champion equality and diversity and be expected to challenge discrimination in all its forms as part of your role.You will hold a caseload which may comprise of adults experiencing a wide range of mental health and social care needs. You will ensure that you maintain constant reflection and development of your practice and will ensure your continuing professional development in line with the standards set out by the professional regulator, Social Work England.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will receive and share highly complex, sensitive, and contentious information about service users and carers with other professionals and key stakeholders both within and outside of the Trust. Information will include assessment and details of risk and may be conveyed in a hostile or highly emotive atmosphere. Communication may focus on issues of a highly sensitive nature, e.g. child protection, adult safeguarding, Mental Health Act assessments. Social workers are professionally accountable for information which may be shared formally, either verbally or in writing. Communication with some service users and carers may be controversial and received with hostility and/or rejection.

The post holder will demonstrate professional knowledge and competence gained through social work training, leading to registration with Social Work England. Expertise within their specialism must be underpinned by theory and post qualification training. The post holder's work will be relatively autonomous, but a reasonable level of support and supervision is provided. Their work will focus on integrated assessment, care planning and care management directly with service users and carers who present with the most complex circumstances.

You will be expected to work in partnership with service users and carers, so that they can feel empowered, and services can be improved as a result of feedback of their experiences

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Job description

Job responsibilities

01) To be a champion of social care with a comprehensive understanding of legislation and statutory guidance.
02) To take a lead in the promotion of adult safeguarding practice and undertake safeguarding enquires and contribute to the provision of care plans that protect both adults and children from abuse.
03) To undertake comprehensive assessments and reviews, for people who may present with a high risk, or those with significant interpersonal, social, legal and/or environmental complexities, ensuring people are assessed appropriately against social care eligibility criteria as defined by The Care Act 2014.
04) To offer direct support to service users and their carers, and to colleagues, through information and advice, to ensure that those who do not meet social care eligibility are appropriately signposted and supported.
05) To ensure that appropriate health and social care services are commissioned with and on behalf of service users, including the duty to offer direct payments, and that processes are in place for service users to be charged by the local authority for the social care services they receive, if applicable.
06) To ensure that commissioned services allow choice to service users and carers and focus on people living in the community with appropriate support and access to universal services.
07) To undertake regular risk assessments and ensure that vulnerable people are kept safe.
08) To undertake carer assessments, including identifying contingency plans, and provision of support.
09) To be skilled in partnership working and identify, develop, and facilitate a wide range of recovery-focused community services, ensuring that colleagues within the locality are also aware of developments and best practice.
10) To ensure the involvement of service users and their carers to that the Trust can learn from their experiences to make improvements to service delivery.
11) To ensure accurate computer records of all work undertaken are kept up to date.
12) To undertake your own post qualifying and other appropriate training to ensure high standards of practice and continuation of your registration with Social Work England.
13) To provide both management and reflective supervision to newly qualified social workers and unregistered social care staff.
14) To support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), with opportunities to train as an ASYE assessor.
15) To undertake duties as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or be willing to undertake AMHP training.
16) To participate in your own regular supervision and ensure regular reflection on your own practice as both a social worker and AMHP.
17) To undertake other tasks and duties which form part of the delegated social care responsibilities accepted by the Trust on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.
18) To adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
19) To undertake additional training as required.
20) To carry out any other duties as appropriately identified by your Line Manager.

Person Specification

KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING & EXPERIENCE

Essential
-An appropriate professional Social Work qualification.
-Education to Degree level.
-Registration with Social Work England.
-Approved Mental Health Professional / Best Interests Assessment Training.

AREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Desirable
-Minimum of 2 Years' post qualification experience
-Experience of undertaking assessments, focused as personalisation, choice and control and care planning.
-Experience of work and an Approved Mental Health Professional and/or Best Interests Assessor