Job summary
This is an opportunity for an experienced social worker to join the Family Drug and Alcohol Court team in London. The role is to social work expertise to the multidisciplinary assessment of families and parents referred to the service. Rapid initial and then ongoing assessment of parents, their willingness and capacity to engage in therapeutic work, alongside assessment of parenting capacity - the safety of the children being paramount.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will contribute to the multidisciplinary formulation of an intervention plan and work with team members to mobilise and co-ordinate existing local authority, NHS and independent sector resources to meet the needs of the care plan and provide where appropriate evidence based nursing interventions in community based settings. The social worker role will take a lead on issues of safeguarding children and risk assessment of parenting capacity.
The post holder will assess and support clients through their treatment pathway in order to promote and improve the well-being of parents, children and young people. The post holder will be required to present reports in an authoritative manner in Court on a very regular basis, and other Multidisciplinary and Multi-agency settings work with autonomy but equally closely with FDAC colleagues.
About us
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health trust with a focus on training and education alongside a full range of mental health services and psychological therapies for children and their families, young people and adults.
We are committed to improving mental health and emotional wellbeing, believing that high quality mental health services should be available for all who need them. We bring a distinctive contribution based on the importance we attach to social experience at all stages of people's lives, and our focus on psychological and developmental approaches to the promotion of health and the prevention and treatment of mental ill health.
We contribute to the pool of ideas through our own research and development, but are also committed to bringing together the best ideas of the time, old and new, from inside and out, together with the most gifted and able professionals in our fields of endeavour. We aim to share our ideas and practice through as many routes as possible.
As a Trust we aim constantly to be evolving in nature and form in relation to the environment in which we work, to ensure that our contribution remains relevant.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information regarding the main responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Job description
Job responsibilities
For more information regarding the main responsibilities of the role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Person Specification
Qualification/Training/Education
Essential
- UK recognised qualification in social work.
- Registered with Social Work England.
- Substantial experience of working with young people and children and their families
- Wide experience of working with children and young people (including those aged 16 and above) and their families/carers
- Experience of working in the role of social worker with young children and families, including the ability to work autonomously.
- Experience of taking responsibility for case work planning for allocated cases and co-ordination, monitoring and review.
- Experience of work in a multi-professional network and awareness of issues for such networks and teams.
- Experience of the application of social work within a multicultural framework
- Evidence of up to date knowledge of child protection best practice, research and legislation.
- Experience of working with safeguarding issues and cases where children are subject to a child protection plan
- Evidence of ability to work in an equalities and anti racist and anti-discriminatory framework.
- Evidence of ability to effectively manage time, priorities and resources.
Desirable
- Evidence of effective written and verbal communication skills, including providing reports to courts and conferences.
Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- An ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to convey complex and clinically sensitive information to family members of all ages and to a wide range of professional people within and outside the NHS
- An awareness of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice
- Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to safeguarding children
- Knowledge of social work theory and practice
- IT literate, including use of email and word processing
Desirable
- An awareness of qualitative and quantitative research methodology and clinical audit
- Awareness of appropriate clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of high quality clinical practice
Other requirements
Essential
- Ability to be a constructive, collaborative and flexible team worker with an ability to work in different roles and contexts
- Ability to demonstrate commitment to own personal development
- Ability to multi task and set goals for completion.
- Keenness to continue to develop therapeutic skills alongside core social work skills
Person Specification
Qualification/Training/Education
Essential
- UK recognised qualification in social work.
- Registered with Social Work England.
- Substantial experience of working with young people and children and their families
- Wide experience of working with children and young people (including those aged 16 and above) and their families/carers
- Experience of working in the role of social worker with young children and families, including the ability to work autonomously.
- Experience of taking responsibility for case work planning for allocated cases and co-ordination, monitoring and review.
- Experience of work in a multi-professional network and awareness of issues for such networks and teams.
- Experience of the application of social work within a multicultural framework
- Evidence of up to date knowledge of child protection best practice, research and legislation.
- Experience of working with safeguarding issues and cases where children are subject to a child protection plan
- Evidence of ability to work in an equalities and anti racist and anti-discriminatory framework.
- Evidence of ability to effectively manage time, priorities and resources.
Desirable
- Evidence of effective written and verbal communication skills, including providing reports to courts and conferences.
Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- An ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to convey complex and clinically sensitive information to family members of all ages and to a wide range of professional people within and outside the NHS
- An awareness of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice
- Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to safeguarding children
- Knowledge of social work theory and practice
- IT literate, including use of email and word processing
Desirable
- An awareness of qualitative and quantitative research methodology and clinical audit
- Awareness of appropriate clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of high quality clinical practice
Other requirements
Essential
- Ability to be a constructive, collaborative and flexible team worker with an ability to work in different roles and contexts
- Ability to demonstrate commitment to own personal development
- Ability to multi task and set goals for completion.
- Keenness to continue to develop therapeutic skills alongside core social work skills
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
