Social Work Assistant

The Methodist Church in Britain; South Shields; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

High Cost Area Supplement

Job summary

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust is seeking a Social Work Assistant to join the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT) team in a fast-paced, community-based setting. The role supports social workers, nurses and doctors, contributing to risk assessments and safeguarding work while liaising with partner agencies.

Applicants should hold an NVQ Level 3, have experience with risk assessments, and be capable of working within a multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 in a relevant field or equivalent qualification.
• Experience in risk assessment and safeguarding in a care setting.
• Experience working in a multidisciplinary team.
• Knowledge of mental health issues and social work principles.

Responsibilities

• Undertake tasks with service users as directed by the social worker or MDT.
• Liaise with partner agencies to coordinate services.
• Contribute to risk assessment and risk management planning.
• Report safeguarding concerns promptly and complete related paperwork.
• Support capacity assessments where appropriate.
• Assist with assessing mental wellbeing and community care needs under supervision.
• Maintain accurate patient records per Trust standards.
• Support child protection procedures and record contacts with safeguarding authorities.
• Collaborate with social work and nursing colleagues as part of the MDT.

Skills

Mental health awareness

Risk assessment

Effective communication

Team collaboration

Car ownership / driving licence

Child protection knowledge

Education

NVQ Level 3

NVQ Level 4 (nice to have)

Tools

RiO

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Outlook

Job description

This Social Work Assistant post sits within the Dartford crisis resolution and home treatment team (CRHT) at Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. The role supports social work interventions for people in mental health crisis, working under social workers and alongside nurses, occupational therapists and doctors. It is community-based and fast-paced, and requires a full UK driving licence and access to a car for business use, unless the applicant has a disability under the Equality Act 2010. Fit will turn on NVQ Level 3 and experience of risk assessment in a caring setting.

What the job involves

• Undertake specified tasks with service users as agreed with the social worker or MDT
• Liaise with statutory and voluntary partner agencies for service users and the MDT, and develop networks with key staff
• Contribute to risk assessment and risk management planning
• Report safeguarding concerns urgently, complete the paperwork and contribute to safeguarding investigations
• Support capacity assessments where appropriate and when advice is available
• Assist assessment of mental wellbeing and community support and care needs under social worker supervision
• Work as a member of the MDT, sharing information with social work and nursing colleagues
• Keep accurate and reliable patient records to local and Trust standards
• Support child protection policy by completing and recording contacts with SSD and persons with parental responsibility
• Work with people with severe and enduring mental health problems who may be in crisis
• Gather feedback from service users, carers and professionals on service delivery
• Keep up to date with changes in legislation, policy and practice guidance

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3

Experience

• Experience of working in a caring environment, including initial assessments, risk assessments and drafting support plans
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of working and liaising with partnership agencies

Skills & knowledge

• Knowledge of mental health conditions
• Awareness of social issues and of problems affecting particular service users
• Understanding of the social work task
• Knowledge of adult and child safeguarding procedures
• Effective written and oral communication with service users, families, colleagues and external agencies
• Ability to record and maintain written notes

Checks & eligibility

• Full, valid UK driving licence
• Access to a car for business use, unless disabled as defined by the Equality Act 2010

Other

• Ability to work as a team member
• Ability to prioritise workload and work on own initiative, undertaking delegated tasks
• Self-awareness and recognition of appropriate boundaries in client relations
• Sensitive and empathetic response to service users and carers

Nice to have

• NVQ Level 4
• Experience of working within mental health services
• Good understanding of local facilities and resources
• Able to use RiO
• Competent IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Good self-awareness
• Reliable
• Non-judgemental

What’s offered

• High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum of £1,346 and a maximum of £2,270 a year, paid monthly (2026/27 figures)