Community Mental Health Social Worker

at  East London NHS Foundation Trust

We are currently expanding the well-established Countywide Early Intervention in Psychosis Team which provides a focussed and specific community service for the population of Bedfordshire and Luton in response to the needs of individuals and their families experiencing a first episode of psychosis. The team works across CAMH services and Adult Mental Health Services with an age range starting at 14 years. We are therefore looking for skilled Social Workers to join our team.
The post holder will be a Qualified Social Worker with a sound background of working in a Community Mental Health setting and Care Coordination within CPA. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly to ensure delivery of full care packages. They will also provide psychosocial interventions and undertake specialist assessments which will require a good understanding of At Risk Mental States and Psychosis.
The successful candidate will join a creative and motivated team who continue to make positive differences to families and individuals across the county. We believe that psychosis is treatable and recovery is expected.
You will be given expert support and advice from the team Senior Social Worker. The Senior Social Worker and Team Leader provide intensive support to ensure that bespoke professional supervision is readily available for all our social workers.
We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Social Worker to work as part of our team. You will be registered with Social Work England and at least have one year of post qualifying experience in a relevant health or social care setting.
As a Social Worker, you will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, providing high quality social care services to adults 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 hold a caseload 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.
You must have a valid driving license and the use of a car for business purposes.
ELFT and Central Bedfordshire Council offer training opportunities to support Social Workers to maintain their professional registration with Social Work England. We believe the natural progression for a Social Worker within Mental Health Services is to strive towards completing their Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training and this is something that we will expect and you will be supported to do.
We are proud to work with the diverse communities of Bedfordshire and want our workforce to reflect this diversity, which we believe is beneficial for our employees, the organisation and the communities we serve. It is an exciting time to be joining Mental Health Services as a Social Worker in ELFT and the Social Care Management team are committed to supporting your continued development
ELFT has a dedicated Social Care Leads locally in Bedfordshire. The Social Care Lead offers regular reflective practice sessions, bespoke advice and CPD opportunities.
The excellent work of the Social Work Learning and Development Project Lead ensures that continuous learning is at the heart of Social Work in Bedfordshire.
In short; now is a good time to be working as a social worker for ELFT in Bedfordshire!
In the role, you will liaise with acute inpatient units, the Crisis Team, Primary Care services, the Voluntary and Private Sector and contribute to providing a recovery focused model of care. You will play an active role in the discharge of our service users from hospital and will commission health and social care services as required. Partnership working is a key component of this post and you will need to be innovative in ensuring that there is a range of appropriate services locally to support individual recovery journeys.
Person specification
Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary environment/community

experience.

• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary

environment/community experience.

• Experience of attending funding panels and commissioning care packages
• Experience of working within an NHS/Local Authority environment and an

understanding of the issues/ policies/ practice within these environments.

Desirable criteria

• Post-qualification experience within mental health services
• Previous appointment as an AMHP /Best Interest Assessor (BIA). Social

Workers are expected to train and practise as AMHP’s
Knowledge/Skills
Essential criteria
To undertake comprehensive Care Act assessments and reviews, for people
who may present with complex Health and Social Care needs, ensuring
people are assessed appropriately against social care eligibility criteria as
defined by The Care Act 2014.
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.
To ensure that appropriate health and social care services are commissioned
with and on behalf of service users.
To promote the use of Direct Payments in the commissioning of service user
and carer care and support plans.
To undertake regular risk assessments and ensure that vulnerable people are
kept safe from harm.
To ensure accurate records of all work undertaken are kept up to date on the
service users Electronic Patient Record.
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To attend reflective practice sessions and access post qualifying and other
appropriate training to ensure high standards of practice and continuation of
your registration with Social Work England.
To provide both management and reflective supervision to newly qualified
Social Workers and Support Workers.
To support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and
Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), with opportunities to train as an
ASYE assessor.
To undertake duties as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or
be willing to undertake AMHP training.
To participate in your own regular supervision and ensure regular reflection on
your own practice as both a social worker and AMHP.
To undertake other tasks and duties which form part of the delegated social
care responsibilities accepted by the Trust on behalf of Central Bedfordshire
Council.
To adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
To undertake additional training as required.
To carry out any other duties as appropriately identified by your line manager.

Desirable criteria

• A thorough working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 and

subsequent amendments
Additional Requirements

Essential criteria

• Car driver essential and be able to travel between Trust sites throughout the

County

• Full driving licence
• Flexible working according to the needs of the service and to support

work/life balance and improving working lives.
Educational/ Qualification

Essential criteria

• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England

5

Desirable criteria

• Educated to Degree Level
• Relevant specialist post qualifying/post graduate training

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

• Team player, able to negotiate and lead other professionals whilst

considering competing views and agendas

• Able to work independently, with initiative, but to seek appropriate guidance

and supervision when required.

• Self-motivated, committed and open to new ideas and experiences
• Committed to equal opportunities, and equality and diversity issues
• Anti-discriminatory & ant oppressive practice
• Committed to core social work values, able to recognise that protection is

sometimes required and should be carried out in the least restrictive manner

observing the human and civil rights of the individual

• A commitment to leadership & change management

Please refer the Job description for details