Oxford Health NHS Trust

Senior Social Care Practitioner

The closing date is 05 August 2025

Job summary

Are you an experienced, qualified Social Worker seeking the next step?

We are currently seeking a Senior Social Care Practitioner. This is an excellent opportunity to progress your social work career, staying in frontline practice whilst developing management and leadership experience, and leading change within your organisation. You will undertake the role of a senior social worker and be responsible for ensuring statutory social care assessments and interventions are of a high quality. Providing practice learning opportunities of outstanding quality and to ensure social work trainees, newly qualified and qualified social work colleagues develop high quality social work practice.

You will ensure that the social perspective of mental health is front and centre of team's practice and you will promote this model within the integrated team .

Main duties of the job

The focus of this post is to work directly within the North and West AMHT to support, challenge and critically review the care processes which are connected to the funded Social Care packages. The post holder will be a champion for funded social care and all the associated process and practice based issues.

You will be expected to:

Develop and oversee a programme of robust assessment and review for service users under the care of adult mental health services in receipt of social care services ensuring assessed needs are met in the most appropriate way.
Maintain an overview of the use of all social care supported accommodation within Oxfordshire
Maintain an overview of community support provision within Oxfordshire both within specialist mental health provision and within the wider community.
Be responsible for ensuring the highest standards of social work practice and the efficient and effective use of resources
Ensure that the needs of service users are met in accordance with the appropriate legal frameworks, providing advice and assistance to other teams where appropriate.
Provide professional social work supervision to the social work team including ensuring professional development of colleagues. To ensure effective and robust line management.

About us

Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the "candidate guide to making an application" and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.

As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people's homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: "Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team"

Our values are: "Caring, safe and excellent"

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:

o Excellent opportunities for career progressiono Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and developmento 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous serviceo NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailerso Competitive pension schemeo Lease car schemeo Cycle to work schemeo Employee Assistance Programmeo Mental Health First Aiderso Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)o Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team

Date posted

22 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum

Contract

Secondment

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

267-OA7341455

Job locations

The Elms Centre

81 Oxford Road

Banbury

OX16 9AL

Job description

Job responsibilities

We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the supporting statement element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.

The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Qualified social worker with more than two years experience
Evidence of providing professional supervision
Understanding of the opportunities and challenges of working in a MDT

Desirable

AMHP or BIA assessor

Knowledge

Essential

Excellent knowledge of the Care Act, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and associated statutory guidance
Understanding of the rights of people who use our services and how to ensure those rights are protected
Excellent knowledge of safeguarding legislation pertaining to adults and children
Understanding of models of mental health with a focus on the social perspective and ability to articulate this to the MDT and other agencies

Desirable

Understanding of Court of Protection processes and procedures
Knowledge of No Recourse to Public Funds

Skills

Essential

Ability to demonstrate and confidently assert the importance of person centred rights based practice
Ability to assert the social perspective of mental health to the AMHT and wider systems
To use social work skills to influence and negotiate better outcomes for people using mental health services

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Qualified social worker with more than two years experience
Evidence of providing professional supervision
Understanding of the opportunities and challenges of working in a MDT

Desirable

AMHP or BIA assessor

Knowledge

Essential

Excellent knowledge of the Care Act, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and associated statutory guidance
Understanding of the rights of people who use our services and how to ensure those rights are protected
Excellent knowledge of safeguarding legislation pertaining to adults and children
Understanding of models of mental health with a focus on the social perspective and ability to articulate this to the MDT and other agencies

Desirable

Understanding of Court of Protection processes and procedures
Knowledge of No Recourse to Public Funds

Skills

Essential

Ability to demonstrate and confidently assert the importance of person centred rights based practice
Ability to assert the social perspective of mental health to the AMHT and wider systems
To use social work skills to influence and negotiate better outcomes for people using mental health services

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.

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

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Address

The Elms Centre

81 Oxford Road

Banbury

OX16 9AL

Employer's website

https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Oxford Health NHS Trust

Address

The Elms Centre

81 Oxford Road

Banbury

OX16 9AL

Employer's website

https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)