Social Worker

Job summary

The post holder will provide consultancy on issues relating to the social care needs of forensic clients of the Community Forensic Learning Disability Service (CFLDS), providing skilled advice and guidance to staff both for the CFLDS and in the wider social care community within the requirements of legislation.

Main duties of the job

Provide skilled social work service to people who have a Learning Disability.
Work in partnership with service users and carers to assess and identify their needs.
Contribute to the development of future service initiatives.
Assist in the assessment of suitable placements.
Contribute to MDTs with members to develop care plans in line with risk assessments and needs.
Assist in co-ordination of care in the with other professionals in forensic services.
To produce reports to reflect needs of individual service users and issues of risk.
Engage with service users, families and carers to ensure they are aware of rights.
Work in partnership to meet social care needs which arise out of offending behaviour.
Utilise the Electronic Patient Record for inputting data.
Take a role in promoting anti-discriminatory practice holistically within contemporary society and policies.
Ensure that service users have access to advocacy.
Take a role in Advocacy for the specialist support team to ensure advocacy is reflected throughout practice.
To ensure safeguarding children and vulnerable adults policies and procedures are in place within the SST.
Ensure implementation of MAPPA, Victim Liaison Services, and Domestic Violence and the National Probation policies.
Link and maintain contact with statutory and third sector agencies to inform assessments.
Participate in various MDT groups to contribute to service development.
Contribute to research and training to other professionals.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Ensure an accurate comprehensive, holistic and up to date social history is available foreach service user which offers complex formulations and recommendations.2. Provide a skilled comprehensive assessment and social work service to people who have a Learning Disability and complex needs.3. When it is part of an agreed care plan, focused casework with individual service users using a range of interventions.4. Work in partnership with service users and carers to assess and identify their needs and achieve service provision which is outcome focused and enhances their quality of life, independence and social integration. 5. Contribute to planning and development of future services by providing complex analysis and information to assist the multi-disciplinary team.6. In conjunction with the responsible Social Services Department or NHS Trusts, assist in the assessment of suitable after care placements working across professional boundaries.7. Contribute to multi-disciplinary teams and participate with members to develop care plans in line with specialist risk assessments and needs, taking into account the family and social context, requiring the exchange of highly sensitive information.8. Assist in co-ordination of care in the context of different legislation with other professionals within forensic services by sharing knowledge and understanding.9. To produce reports to reflect needs of individual service users and issues of risk, sharing sensitive information to support intervention and formulation.10. Engage with service users and families to ensure they are aware of legal rights.11. Work in partnership with users and carers to meet social care needs within a range of complex needs which arise out of offending behaviour.12. Utilise the Electronic Patient Record for inputting assessment data, record social work input to the care plan and transfer summaries which reflect the patients views.13. With the service users permission, initiate visits and maintain contact with service users families and/or significant others, offering support, information and, where relevant to the care plan, joint family and service users sessions. 14. Take a role in promoting anti-discriminatory practice in a way that links the service users individual circumstances to the broader social, political, legal and cultural context.15. Ensure that service users have access to independent advice on financial, legal and advocacy matters.16. Take a role in Advocacy for the specialist support team, providing training, delivery of policies and shaping the service to ensure advocacy is reflected throughout practice.17. To ensure child protection policies within the Specialist Support team ensuring effective collaboration with the wider health and social care community. This will involve the sharing of highly sensitive information with agencies, requiring tact and negotiation in agreeing appropriate action required.18. To ensure in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults ensuring policies and procedures are in place within the SST and that service delivery compliments the wider health and social care community, linking with local safeguarding hubs, communicating highly sensitive information that requires tack and negotiation in agreeing appropriate action as necessary.19. To ensure policy, procedure and service delivery in terms of working with MAPPA,Victim Liaison Services, and Domestic Violence and the National Probation Services ensuring effective collaboration and connectivity with the wider health and social care community.

20. Enable service users and carers to exercise their rights and promote their equality and diversity.21. Link and maintain contact with statutory, voluntary, charity and external agencies to inform assessments and formulate detailed and complex care packages. Promote involvement of voluntary agencies to meet social care needs.22. Participate in various multi-disciplinary groups in order to contribute to service governance and development within the workplace.23. Will contribute to research and training to other professionals from internal and external agencies utilising own knowledge base.24. Liaise with the Specialist Support Team Manager through regular meetings and supervision to ensure that social care needs of individuals are being appropriately addressed.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential
-Degree in Social Work or DipSW or CQSW
-Current Social Work England registration
-Post-qualifying training (formally or work based) in relevant areas of social work and/or mental health, learning disability or forensics
-Evidence of significant continuing professional and personal development

Desirable
-Qualifications relating to the Mental Capacity Act, e.g., Best Interest Assessor
-Practice Educator qualification 1 & 2 (PEPS)
-Approved Mental Health Professional Qualification

Knowledge

Essential
-Legislative Framework
-Health Act. 1999, National Service Frameworks, Mental Capacity Act (2006), Mental Health Act 2007
-Underpinning Knowledge and Understanding
-Requirements of relevant legislation, Childcare legislation and criminal justice system, Care Programme Approach, Social work models in forensic work, Drugs, alcohol and substance misuse, Interaction between learning disabilities and offending behaviour within a family and social context
-National and local policies
-Models of risk assessment and risk factors and management, Financing of community care
-Housing and welfare provision, roles, responsibilities of other agencies, Learning from enquiries' reports, Role of Mental Health Review Tribunals, Victims.
-Theoretical models of forensic social work/forensic psychiatry/forensic psychology
-Significant Post Qualification experience

Desirable
-Putting People First (DH 2006)
-New Horizons (DH 2009)
-Revised NHS Operating Framework 2010/11 (June 2010)
-Transforming Care
-Forensic Mental Health
-Approved Social Work
-Multi-Disciplinary Work
-Offence related work
-Group work
-Mental Health Social Work
(Community Mental Health Team), Continuing Care Team, Hospital Social Work Team, Emergency Duty Team, Child & Adolescent Mental Health Team, Probation Service)
-Appropriate adult

Skills

Essential
-A demonstrated understanding of Equality and Human Rights
-Ability to work in a multidisciplinary setting
-Ability to apply social work practice in the framework of a nonmedical model
-Complex Risk Assessment & Complex Risk Management skills
-Recording and preparing assessment and Mental Health Review Tribunal reports
-Ability to travel nationally at short notice to complete assessments and visit families
-To be able to practice as an autonomous professional

Desirable
-Offence related work
-Victim work