Perinatal Mental Health Social Worker

East London NHS Foundation Trust; England; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Induction and tailored training

Regular in-house perinatal training

Job summary

East London NHS Foundation Trust seeks a capable nurse to join the Bedfordshire Perinatal Mental Health Team, supporting women and birthing people from preconception to two years postnatal. Core tasks include specialist assessment, care planning and risk reviews within a multidisciplinary team, with a focus on training.

The role suits Band 5/6 nurses with post-qualification experience in perinatal mental health, and requires NMC Part 3 registration.

Qualifications

• Professional nursing qualification.
• CPD in perinatal mental health and safeguarding.
• Registration on Part 3 of the NMC register.

Responsibilities

• Deliver specialist assessment, care planning, treatment and review for perinatal service users.
• Work with a small, complex group of pregnant women, birthing people or those with infants up to two years old.
• Provide risk assessment and monitoring within a multidisciplinary team.
• Give specialist consultation and advice to inpatient and community services on perinatal best practice.
• Liaise with Mother and Baby Units and participate in relevant planning meetings.
• Maintain clinical records and communicate complex information clearly to patients and colleagues.
• Develop referral criteria and share knowledge across services.
• Promote perinatal mental health service locally and with partner services.
• Advise on NICE guidelines and safeguarding children guidance.
• Support perinatal mental health training for Trust and external staff.

Skills

Multidisciplinary working

Evidence-based practice

Safeguarding children

Diversity and equality

Education

Nursing qualification

ENB 998 or equivalent

Job description

Clinical post in the Bedfordshire Perinatal Mental Health Team at East London NHS Foundation Trust, supporting women and birthing people from preconception to two years postnatal. Core work is specialist assessment, care planning and risk assessment within a multidisciplinary team, plus consultation to inpatient and community services. It suits Band 5 or 6 social workers and experienced practitioners, with a small complex caseload and a strong training focus. The person specification asks for a nursing qualification and NMC Part 3 registration, not social work registration.

What the job involves

• Deliver specialist, evidence-based assessment, care planning, treatment and review for perinatal service users
• Work intensively with a small, complex group of pregnant women, birthing people or those with infants up to two years old
• Provide risk assessment, monitoring and review for women with complex needs within the multidisciplinary team
• Give specialist consultation and advice to Trust inpatient and community services on perinatal best practice
• Liaise and work with Mother and Baby Units
• Take part in pre-birth and post-birth perinatal planning meetings, team MDT meetings, CPA meetings and child protection meetings or case conferences
• Provide assessment, health education and guidance to partners of women in the perinatal period, and develop an assessment clinic for partners and co-parents
• Keep clinical records and communicate complex clinical information to patients, families, carers and professionals, verbally and in writing
• Work with colleagues to set referral criteria and structures that share knowledge on perinatal work across inpatient and community services
• Promote and develop the perinatal mental health service for the locality and maintain links with partner services
• Advise on best practice from NICE guidelines, MBRRACE reports and safeguarding children guidance
• Support development and delivery of perinatal mental health and safeguarding training for Trust and external staff

What’s required

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in nursing
• Continuing professional development, including recent perinatal mental health and safeguarding children practice

Registration & licences

• Registration on Part 3 of the NMC register

Experience

• Post-qualification experience
• Post-qualification experience working with women with serious mental illness
• Managing a CPA caseload with evidence of high-quality assessments
• Working in a complex multidisciplinary and multi-agency context
• Completing complex nursing and mental state, risk and needs assessments
• Working in a multiracial and multicultural community, including with interpreters

Skills & knowledge

• Facilitating effective multidisciplinary and multiagency working, understanding other professions' contributions
• Implementing evidence-based practice
• Identifying, recognising and understanding safeguarding children issues and referring appropriately
• Up-to-date knowledge of evidence-based practice and developments in perinatal mental health
• Knowledge of diversity and equality issues in perinatal mental health services

Other

• Commitment to equality of opportunity and diversity practice and related policies
• Commitment to safeguarding children

Nice to have

• Experience of working in the perinatal mental health field
• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• ENB 998 or equivalent
• Qualified non-medical prescriber
• Qualifications or training in specialist skills, such as therapeutic or psychological interventions
• Experience of formal child protection processes and inter-agency work with families
• Experience of multi-agency pre-birth planning for women with serious mental illness
• Clinical supervision training, or experience supervising mental health professionals or practice teaching

What’s offered

• Robust induction
• Tailored training and development within the perinatal framework
• Regular in-house training to learn from colleagues across perinatal teams
• Opportunities for flexibility in working arrangements