Social Worker

West London NHS Trust; Southall; On-site; GBP 51,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity awaits a qualified Social Worker passionate about Forensic Social Work. Join a dedicated team at a leading healthcare provider, focused on delivering exceptional care to individuals detained under the Mental Health Act. This role offers the chance to shape a new service, enhance your skills, and make a meaningful impact on the lives of forensic mental health service users. With a supportive environment and opportunities for professional development, this position is perfect for those looking to advance their career in a dynamic and rewarding field. Embrace this chance to contribute to innovative mental health care and support vulnerable individuals on their journey to recovery.

Qualifications

• Qualified Social Worker with Social Work England Registration required.
• 3-4 years post-qualification experience in mental health settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide Social Work input to low secure pre-discharge service.
• Work collaboratively to improve lives of forensic mental health service users.

Skills

Forensic Social Work

Mental Health Knowledge

Risk Assessment

Collaborative Care Planning

Communication Skills

Multidisciplinary Team Working

Safeguarding Experience

Supervision Skills

Project Management

Analytic Skills

Education

Degree in Social Work

Social Work England Registration

Post-qualifying Training

Job description

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Site: St Bernard's Hospital
Town: London
Salary: £51,883 - £58,544 per annum inc hcas (Outer)
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 02/01/2025 23:59

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.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified Social Worker who has experience of or an interest in Forensic Social Work.

West London Forensic Service, as part of West London Health Trust, is responsible for the in-patient treatment of adults detained under the Mental Health Act, who require medium or low secure levels of security in order to protect others and themselves. This includes providing a Social Work Service to those detained in conditions of low and medium security.

The successful applicant will be joining an experienced and supportive team to provide Social Work input to our low secure pre-discharge service.

While it is desirable for candidates to have experience working within forensic and mental health settings, applications will be equally considered from qualified and experienced Social Workers working in other areas, as long as they can demonstrate strong transferability of skills.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for applicants for a Senior Forensic Social Worker committed to working collaboratively with individuals and providers in the community to find positive and safe ways of working with people who use these services.

You will work as part of the ground-breaking new team that will improve the lives of forensic mental health service users and their carers. This is a rare chance to be part of shaping a new service, providing opportunities to develop your skills and your career.

Minimum Requirements

The applicant must have a qualification in Social Work and Social Work England Registration.

Person specification

• Degree in Social Work or DipSW or CQSW
• Social Work England Registration
• Post-qualifying training in relevant areas of social work and/or mental health
• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
• 3-4 years experience working with individuals with mental health problems post qualification and ASYE
• Experience of working in an inpatient MH service
• Substantial experience of multidisciplinary team working, and promoting a social work/social care perspective
• Experience of presenting reports in formal settings, e.g. Mental Health Tribunals and Managers Hearings or similar statutory hearings
• Substantial experience in risk assessment and risk management
• Experience in collaborative care planning
• Experience in working with families
• Experience of child and adult safeguarding with mental health patients and their families
• Experience in supporting and training others on Social Work or AMHP placements
• Substantial knowledge of particular aspects of the Mental Health Act and its associated Code of Practice, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, Human Rights Act and criminal justice legislation relevant to Forensic Mental Health Social Work
• Detailed knowledge of identifying Responsible Local Authorities, Section 117 MHA, MAPPA, Victim Liaison, Carers’ Rights and child and adult safeguarding
• Written and verbal communication skills to engage with patients, carers and professionals at various levels of seniority across health and social care
• Demonstrate knowledge of actuarial and clinical risk assessment and how this might be applied to the management of clients
• Demonstrate ability to supervise staff
• Demonstrate ability to lead on projects and audits
• Knowledge of how to work effectively with professional networks to foster collaborative approaches and achieve results
• Interpersonal skills to manage highly complex emotional situations
• Analytic and judgement skills, dealing with highly complex situations where required to express professional social work opinions
• Ability to work with considerable professional autonomy as a solo social worker in a multidisciplinary team
• Planning and organisational skills to manage a caseload and meet deadlines
• Ability to undertake all statutory and mandatory training, including Breakaway
• Qualifications relating to the Mental Capacity Act, e.g. Best Interest Assessor
• Relevant training in group work, family therapy, substance misuse interventions, or offence work
• Experience of community forensic working practices
• Experience of working with Learning Disability and/or Autism Services
• Experience of outpatient forensic mental health setting
• Experience of working with offenders
• Experience of working with adults with substance misuse or dual diagnosis
• Experience of working with adults with Learning Disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Specialist knowledge in engaging with people with personality disorder and forensic histories

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 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.

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

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.

At West London NHS Trust, we want to support you to build a career you can be proud of, starting before your first day with us. Our people live our values every day as they deliver, manage and work to improve our services to patients, carers, families and other professionals.

We’re committed to making our recruitment process clear and efficient. It’s in everyone’s interest that we get the very best people on board as soon as we can.