Senior Social Worke

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West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.

We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.

Job overview

Specialist Community Forensic Teams and Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion services have been a developing area within WLFS over the past few years and this post has been created in order to support that development. West London Forensic Services has been chosen by NHS England to pioneer a new approach to support the transition of Learning Disabled and Autistic people in Medium and Low Secure Mental Health Services with their transition back into the community.

We are therefore in the process of rolling out this new and exciting LDA new CFT team covering all 8 NW London Boroughs. We have established Specialist Community Forensic Teams, Police Liaison, Court Diversion, Youth Justice Liaison and diversion teams and Forensic CMAHS Services and these services have also been greatly extended and invested in over the past few years, in particular the Police Liaison Service has grown creating more posts and more coverage within the geographical area.

The post will be based in Ealing, St Bernard's Hospital Site.

Main duties of the job

Your responsibilities will include working collaboratively with service users as a Senior Forensic Social Worker / Social Supervisor to promote good quality care and recovery including: -

• Supervising and leading by example in matters related to social supervision and lead on developing good practise in this role.

• Providing line management to Band 6 Social Workers / Social Supervisors.

• Working closely and assertively with inpatient services to identify service users who are able to transition into the community, and co-produce plans to facilitate this transition.

• Working collaboratively with service users in a recovery-focused, strengths-based way, identifying appropriate goals to promote their recovery.

• Ensure that the views and wishes of service users and carers are central to the care planning process and that their participation is maximised.

• Ensure that specialist forensic risk assessments are undertaken collaboratively with service users and colleagues.

• Providing effective, outcome and evidence-based support and interventions to support recovery, including: -

Working for our organisation

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.

We're rated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Your responsibilities will include working collaboratively with service users as a Senior Forensic Social Worker / Social Supervisor to promote good quality care and recovery including: -

• Supervising and leading by example in matters related to social supervision and lead on developing good practise in this role.

• Providing line management to Band 6 Social Workers / Social Supervisors.

• Working closely and assertively with inpatient services to identify service users who are able to transition into the community, and co-produce plans to facilitate this transition.

• Working collaboratively with service users in a recovery-focused, strengths-based way, identifying appropriate goals to promote their recovery.

• Ensure that the views and wishes of service users and carers are central to the care planning process and that their participation is maximised.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Qualification in Social Work with Social Work England registration.

Desirable criteria

• Post Qualifying training and development such as AMHP / BIA training

Experience

Essential criteria

• The applicant must have a minimum of two years post graduate experience.
• The applicant must have two years post qualification experience in a mental health setting.
• The applicant must have experience of autonomous working.
• Experience of working with Learning Disability and/or Autism Services.

Knowledge and skills

Essential criteria

• Demonstrate an ability to undertake assessments of risk using specific risk assessment tools.
• Demonstrate an ability to formulate implement and evaluate programmes of care for those individuals in the Community Forensic Service and those being referred
• Demonstrate an ability to use a range of therapeutic interventions with clients who have a range of Mental Disorder including Learning Disability / Autism.
• Demonstrate ability to lead on projects and audits.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Part 3 of the Mental Health Act and its application to Mentally Disordered Offenders

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrate an ability to teach.

As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.

We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks . After which your information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system (ESR ).

Please ensure you include email addresses for your referees which MUST be at supervisory or managerial capacity covering the last 3 years of employment to date to avoid delay in the recruitment process.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• JD & PS (PDF, 1.1MB)