Social Worker Band 6 (Enhanced Rehabilitation Outreach Service)

School Result; Hemel Hempstead; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is seeking an experienced Band 6 Social Worker for its Enhanced Rehabilitation Outreach Service (EROS) based in Hemel Hempstead. The role focuses on rehabilitation mental health social work, risk assessment, care planning and safeguarding within a multidisciplinary team.

The post requires registration with Social Work England, AMHP experience or training, and post-qualification experience with high-risk caseloads.

Qualifications

• Must hold professional social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.
• Experience as AMHP or Best Interests Assessor is listed as essential.
• Experience in safeguarding and complex case management.

Responsibilities

• Lead safeguarding enquiries for adults and contribute to care plans.
• Assessments and care planning focused on personalisation and choice.
• Supervision of newly qualified and unregistered staff.
• Working as an AMHP or training to become one.

Skills

AMHP experience

Social work registration

Care planning

Education

Professional social work qualification

Degree-level education

Job description

Social Worker Band 6 (Enhanced Rehabilitation Outreach Service)

Rehabilitation mental health social work is slower and more relationship-led than crisis work, because the aim is to help people with long-term severe mental illness build a life in the community and keep out of hospital. Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is hiring a permanent, full-time Band 6 Social Worker for its Enhanced Rehabilitation Outreach Service (EROS), based at St Paul's, Hemel Hempstead. The salary is £41,957 to £50,387 a year. The advert closes on12 November 2026, so there is little time.

About the Employer

HPFT is an NHS mental health trust with more than 4,500 staff, providing mental health, physical health and learning disability services across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk. The advert says it is one of only five mental health trusts to be rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The trust's own page shows that Outstanding rating was awarded in May 2019, after inspections that spring, with Caring and Well-led rated Outstanding and Safe, Effective and Responsive rated Good. That rating is several years old, so check the CQC website for any newer assessment.

Read Before You Apply

The salary probably includes a fringe-area supplement. The advert says £41,957 to £50,387. The 2026/27 national Band 6 scale in England is £39,959 to £48,117, and the figures here are about 5% higher, with the top capped at £2,270 extra. That fits the 5% "fringe" High Cost Area Supplement, which is paid in areas near London. We couldn't confirm whether Hemel Hempstead is in the fringe zone, so ask HR what the base pay and supplement are, and check your contract.

The AMHP requirement is mixed. The duties say you'll work as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or be willing to train as one. But the experience section lists "experience of work as AMHP and/or Best Interests Assessor" as essential, while AMHP or Best Interests Assessor training appears under desirable. Ask whether you'd be considered without AMHP experience, and whether the trust funds AMHP training. An AMHP has legal powers under the Mental Health Act, so this is a significant career step.

"Significant post-qualification experience" isn't defined. The advert doesn't say how many years. Ask what the team expects, and be ready to show examples of assessments, care planning and safeguarding.

It involves safeguarding and supervision. You'd lead safeguarding enquiries for adults and contribute to care plans that protect adults and children, and give management and reflective supervision to newly qualified social workers and unregistered staff. It's a senior-feeling Band 6 post.

Registration is required. You must be registered with Social Work England. The person specification also says "UK professional registration", which in this case means the same thing.

Sponsorship is welcome, but check the rules. The advert says applications from people who need Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome and considered alongside others. It doesn't say what sponsorship covers. Overseas applicants also need a criminal record certificate from each country they've lived in for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. This is general information, not immigration advice.

The role is working with high risk. The advert describes assessing people with high risk or significant social, legal or environmental complexity under the Care Act 2014. Expect a demanding caseload.

• Working in a multi-disciplinary team providing social care services to adults of all ages with mental ill-health
• Carrying out assessments, including connected lives assessments, care planning and care coordination
• Delivering recovery-focused support to service users and carers, based on choice, control and independence
• Assessing people against Care Act 2014 eligibility and signposting those who don't qualify
• Leading adult safeguarding work and undertaking safeguarding enquiries
• Carrying out regular risk assessments
• Developing recovery-focused community services and partnerships
• Involving service users and carers to improve services
• Keeping accurate computer records
• Supervising newly qualified and unregistered staff
• Working as an AMHP, or training to become one
• Holding a caseload and keeping your practice and professional development in line with Social Work England standards

Pay, Contract & Location

• Pay: £41,957 to £50,387 a year, Agenda for Change Band 6 (appears to include a fringe supplement)
• Contract type: Permanent, full time
• Location: St Paul's, Slippers Hill, Hemel Hempstead HP2 5XY

The advert lists no individual benefits. NHS posts normally include the NHS Pension Scheme and national annual leave, so check the job pack. The trust lists several employer accreditations, including Disability Confident, flexible working and veteran-aware status.

Who Can Apply

• A professional social work qualification and degree-level education
• Registration with Social Work England
• Training in outcomes-focused assessment and personalisation
• Training and experience in safeguarding
• Knowledge of relevant legislation, theory and policy
• Experience of assessments and care planning focused on personalisation, choice and control
• Experience of multidisciplinary working and partnership with service users and carers
• Experience of work as an AMHP or Best Interests Assessor (as listed)
• AMHP or Best Interests Assessor training

You'll also need an enhanced DBS check.