Job summary
We are looking for skilled and highly motivated Child and Family social worker with some experience of multidisciplinary/multiagency working. This is a CAMHS mental health inpatient setting so the ability to represent the core values of social work within this setting is central to this work.
Some experience or familiarity with CAMHS work would be an advantage as would at least a rudimentary knowledge of the Mental Health & Mental Capacity Acts. Knowledge of eating Disorders whilst desirable is not essential.
Good literacy and communication skills are essential as is the ability to think on one's feet. An ability to represent a view within the structure of a Mental Health Act Tribunal is a requirement.
The role offers an opportunity to highly develop specialist skills and an opportunity to represent social work in a health setting. The case load is protected and whilst the nature of the work is intense the integrated nature of the team leads to a collaborative approach and the work can be rewarding. The social workers are also supported by being part of a small social work team lead by the Head of Social Work with supervision provided by the CAMHS Social Work Team Manager. This is an opportunity to practice social work in its best possible sense applying therapeutic skills to sensitive situations.
The roles require competence but also confidence to work within the team in a constructive way and to offer a lead on safeguarding issues.
Main duties of the job
- The post will provide advice and guidance across the CAMHS Park to the social work staff
- The post holder will have a primary practitioner role servicing the social work function on Wisteria ward.
- The post holder will be a highly experienced social worker who has a sound knowledge of Mental Health Legislation and Children's inter-related children's legislation
- The post holder will be expected to provide advice on child safeguarding processes and ensure Trust safeguarding policies and procedures are followed
- The post holder will provide clinical practice input across the wards in an advisory capacity and provide cover when required, but will have a primary commitment to Aquarius Ward.
- The post holder can provide professional supervision for social workers in CAMHS and related services.
About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.
About our locations:
Springfield University Hospital, Tooting
Our largest, 19-ward site is in Springfield Village, created following our £150m investment into two new world class mental health facilities. A 32-acre public park, shops and cafes are coming soon. Close to shops, cafes and Tooting Bec on the Northern Line plus Earlsfield and Tooting rail stations and bus routes.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical/Practice
- To liaise and interface with multidisciplinary staff within service area.
- To liaise and work with external agencies, in particular Local Authority Childrens Services and CAMHS Community Services (Tier 3).
- To be responsible for investigating and advising with regard to complex and highly sensitive and often confidential information, relating to safeguarding cases and other cases where there are high risk social factors
- To provide written reports for a variety of purposes and audiences including social circumstances reports for Mental Health Tribunals and Managers Hearings; safeguarding investigation reports; social work reports for use within the Service and for communication with external health and social care organisations and possibly for the Courts; periodic audits and evaluations of aspects of service; periodic analytical reports on social work and social care practices and issues within the service area for the Directorate and/or for the Head of Social Work.
- To develop and provide consultation to other services and agencies. This may include consulting to individual clinicians or to multi-disciplinary teams, comprising the full range of mental health professionals, including Social Services, Health Services, Educational Services, Housing, Police and CJS and voluntary and other statutory agencies
- To supervise less experienced social workers in day-to-day clinical practice
- To maintain up-to-date and detailed knowledge and awareness of relevant legislation (including its application to unusual circumstances that occur in specialist mental health services), guidance and Trust policies and procedures, and to work within these.
- To maintain high standards of professional practice, working at all times in the best interests of service users and carers,
- To contribute to the assessment of young people and their families admitted to the ward in such a way as to ensure safe discharge planning
- To work closely with all members of relevant service to achieve the best possible outcomes
- To promote the interests and welfare of all patients and their families with particular reference to the Human Rights Act 1998 and all relevant policy and legislation (e.g. Childrens Act 1989, NHS and Community Care Act 1990, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) and the Mental Health Act 1983)
- To lead on adult and child safeguarding within service area and to act as a key point of liaison for the team between the Service and local and regional statutory childrens and adults safeguarding and child protection services within Local Authorities and other partner agencies.
Training/Supervision and Development
- To undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by Trust policy
- To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Development Review/appraisal
- To undertake personal development as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP)
- To provide professional supervision / consultation/ training to others as required
- To participate in individual and group professional social work supervision as agreed
- To participate in line management supervision within the Service as agreed
- To contribute to the further development of social work supervision policies and best practice within the Trust.
Service Development, Research and Evaluation
- To make a significant contribution to the development and implementation of social care related policies and services within the ward and beyond
- To be responsible for contributing to research initiatives, contributing towards evidence-based practice in keeping with national and organisational strategic goals
- To participate in the development of systems for evaluating the quality of service provided
- To have a lead role within the ward in relation to promoting Social Care issues, policies and legislation
- To maintain reliable and accurate clinical records, and statistical data with the purposes of monitoring and audit of the Service.
Communication
- To have, or to develop, communication skills relevant to the service area
- To adhere to directorate policy and practice guidance on appropriate modes of communication relevant to service area
- To design / provide talks and or presentations as part of raising awareness, promoting issues or academic or research outcome, as required
Financial
- To act as an authorised signatory for payments to clients and other small payments as may be appropriate.
Decision Making
- To provide expert specialist advice in regards to social work practice to ensure that it meets the needs of the Trust. The post holder is expected to resolve complex issues based upon own interpretation of policies, acquired knowledge and expertise and is also expected to understand when and how to involve external agencies in interagency decision making and risk management activities
- To be responsible for day-to-day decision making to maintain the smooth running of the Ward
- The post holder will be encouraged to use their own initiative and will have a considerable degree of freedom to use their judgement to take significant practice decisions and provide advice to others without immediate referral back to their manager or professional supervisor.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical/Practice
- To liaise and interface with multidisciplinary staff within service area.
- To liaise and work with external agencies, in particular Local Authority Childrens Services and CAMHS Community Services (Tier 3).
- To be responsible for investigating and advising with regard to complex and highly sensitive and often confidential information, relating to safeguarding cases and other cases where there are high risk social factors
- To provide written reports for a variety of purposes and audiences including social circumstances reports for Mental Health Tribunals and Managers Hearings; safeguarding investigation reports; social work reports for use within the Service and for communication with external health and social care organisations and possibly for the Courts; periodic audits and evaluations of aspects of service; periodic analytical reports on social work and social care practices and issues within the service area for the Directorate and/or for the Head of Social Work.
- To develop and provide consultation to other services and agencies. This may include consulting to individual clinicians or to multi-disciplinary teams, comprising the full range of mental health professionals, including Social Services, Health Services, Educational Services, Housing, Police and CJS and voluntary and other statutory agencies
- To supervise less experienced social workers in day-to-day clinical practice
- To maintain up-to-date and detailed knowledge and awareness of relevant legislation (including its application to unusual circumstances that occur in specialist mental health services), guidance and Trust policies and procedures, and to work within these.
- To maintain high standards of professional practice, working at all times in the best interests of service users and carers,
- To contribute to the assessment of young people and their families admitted to the ward in such a way as to ensure safe discharge planning
- To work closely with all members of relevant service to achieve the best possible outcomes
- To promote the interests and welfare of all patients and their families with particular reference to the Human Rights Act 1998 and all relevant policy and legislation (e.g. Childrens Act 1989, NHS and Community Care Act 1990, Mental Capacity Act 2005, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) and the Mental Health Act 1983)
- To lead on adult and child safeguarding within service area and to act as a key point of liaison for the team between the Service and local and regional statutory childrens and adults safeguarding and child protection services within Local Authorities and other partner agencies.
Training/Supervision and Development
- To undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by Trust policy
- To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Development Review/appraisal
- To undertake personal development as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP)
- To provide professional supervision / consultation/ training to others as required
- To participate in individual and group professional social work supervision as agreed
- To participate in line management supervision within the Service as agreed
- To contribute to the further development of social work supervision policies and best practice within the Trust.
Service Development, Research and Evaluation
- To make a significant contribution to the development and implementation of social care related policies and services within the ward and beyond
- To be responsible for contributing to research initiatives, contributing towards evidence-based practice in keeping with national and organisational strategic goals
- To participate in the development of systems for evaluating the quality of service provided
- To have a lead role within the ward in relation to promoting Social Care issues, policies and legislation
- To maintain reliable and accurate clinical records, and statistical data with the purposes of monitoring and audit of the Service.
Communication
- To have, or to develop, communication skills relevant to the service area
- To adhere to directorate policy and practice guidance on appropriate modes of communication relevant to service area
- To design / provide talks and or presentations as part of raising awareness, promoting issues or academic or research outcome, as required
Financial
- To act as an authorised signatory for payments to clients and other small payments as may be appropriate.
Decision Making
- To provide expert specialist advice in regards to social work practice to ensure that it meets the needs of the Trust. The post holder is expected to resolve complex issues based upon own interpretation of policies, acquired knowledge and expertise and is also expected to understand when and how to involve external agencies in interagency decision making and risk management activities
- To be responsible for day-to-day decision making to maintain the smooth running of the Ward
- The post holder will be encouraged to use their own initiative and will have a considerable degree of freedom to use their judgement to take significant practice decisions and provide advice to others without immediate referral back to their manager or professional supervisor.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oRecognised social work qualification or equivalent
- oCurrent registration with the General Social Care Council (GSCC) register of qualified social workers
- oAttainment at postgraduate/ Masters level in relevant area of study
- oEvidence of relevant post-qualifying formal study / professional development
Desirable
- oCompletion of post- qualifying award or advanced award in social work
- oCommitment to additional training relevant to post
Experience
Essential
- oDemonstrable extended post qualification experience in a social work setting with an emphasis on children and young people with mental health problems
- oExperience of dealing with complex caseloads and working in a multi-disciplinary mental health service
- oExperience of child and adult safeguarding practice
- oExperience of supervising other social work staff
- oExperience of providing consultation and advice
Desirable
- oDemonstrable experience of policy development
- oExperience of working with specific client group relevant to the service area
- oExperience of working with interpreters
- oPrevious experience of giving presentations particularly in promoting awareness and issues or academic research
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- oRecognised social work qualification or equivalent
- oCurrent registration with the General Social Care Council (GSCC) register of qualified social workers
- oAttainment at postgraduate/ Masters level in relevant area of study
- oEvidence of relevant post-qualifying formal study / professional development
Desirable
- oCompletion of post- qualifying award or advanced award in social work
- oCommitment to additional training relevant to post
Experience
Essential
- oDemonstrable extended post qualification experience in a social work setting with an emphasis on children and young people with mental health problems
- oExperience of dealing with complex caseloads and working in a multi-disciplinary mental health service
- oExperience of child and adult safeguarding practice
- oExperience of supervising other social work staff
- oExperience of providing consultation and advice
Desirable
- oDemonstrable experience of policy development
- oExperience of working with specific client group relevant to the service area
- oExperience of working with interpreters
- oPrevious experience of giving presentations particularly in promoting awareness and issues or academic research
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).
