Job summary
We are seeking a dynamic and enthusiastic B7 Perinatal Social Worker to work in ourPerinatal Mental Health team in Westminster. The team provide specialist care for women (and their babies) with moderate to severe mental illness, this includes offering pre-conceptual counselling alongside working with women during their pregnancy and up to 2 years postpartum where there is a perinatal need. This is an energetic, creative and welcoming team which aims to offer and inspire excellence in community perinatal mental health care.
The successful candidate will be highly motivated, energetic and passionate about delivering high quality patient-centred care to patients. They should have experience of team working, possess sound organisation skills and be able to work on their own initiative. Previous mental health experience is essential alongside experience of formal child protection processes and interagency working. Effective communication and empathic skills are essential.
Following digital enhancement during the initial Covid-19 pandemic we are also now able to offer video assessment and consultation in addition to face to face appointments for assessment, treatment and group interventions.
Main duties of the job
The successful applicant as part of a multi-disciplinary team will deliver care to women in a range of community settings including the woman's home; children's centre's; GP surgeries, maternity wards and by the use of virtual technology. The ability to work flexibly in multidisciplinary teams and in a range of settings is therefore essential. All roles within the team involve close liaison with the wider MDT such as Midwives; Health Visitors; Safeguarding and Children's Centre's.
As a Mental Health Social Worker you must have experience of working in mental health services at secondary care level holding a caseload of service users who present with complex presentations who may also be in crisis and who express suicidality or of working in a mental health inpatient setting. Experience of working in the Perinatal Mental Health field is desirable with experience of formal child protection procedures and inter-agency work with families. The team also leads on a multi-agency training programme which is delivered in a training centre on a monthly basis.
There will be opportunities for networking with perinatal Social Workers Nationally across London and within CNWL.
Both regionally and locally we are committed to further training all disciplines within the team there will be provision for training in line with a regional training programme
About us
We are passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patients own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We are always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we are hoping to find our future leaders and we support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career. With a diverse culture and equally diverse range of opportunities across mental health, community services, addictions, eating disorders, learning disabilities and more whatever stage of your career you're at, there's always a place for you at CNWL.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Recruitment to this permanent Perinatal Social worker position is part of the development of the perinatal community Mental Health Service. Although the role and responsibilities have been outlined within this job description, it is important that the post-holder is flexible, innovative and has positive attitude to change as the services continous to develop.
The team base is in Westminster.
The service is integrated with Maternity Services in Chelsea and Westminster hospital and the postholder will work very closely with midwives and obstetricians.
For further information about this post please see attached job description
Job description
Job responsibilities
Recruitment to this permanent Perinatal Social worker position is part of the development of the perinatal community Mental Health Service. Although the role and responsibilities have been outlined within this job description, it is important that the post-holder is flexible, innovative and has positive attitude to change as the services continous to develop.
The team base is in Westminster.
The service is integrated with Maternity Services in Chelsea and Westminster hospital and the postholder will work very closely with midwives and obstetricians.
For further information about this post please see attached job description
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Social work qualification and evidence of current registration on Social Work England register
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
- Dual qualified as AMHP or Best interest assessor or Practice educator
- Specialist Training in perinatal & infant mental health
- Recent experience of perinatal mental health practice and/or safeguarding children and Adult practice
- Qualifications / training in specialist skills e.g. Family therapy/interventions/ psychological interventions
Experience
Essential
- Professional knowledge acquired through degree /diploma
- Extensive post qualification experience
- Extensive post qualification experience working with women with serious mental illness in a secondary mental health setting either community or impatient
- Experience of managing a caseload of service users with evidence of completing high quality assessments
- Experience of working in a complex multi-disciplinary / multi-agency context
- Experience of formal child protection processes and inter-agency work with families
- Experience of formal Adult Safeguarding processes and inter-agency work with families
- Experience of undertaking complex social needs mental state, risk and needs assessments
- Experience of working in a multi-racial/cultural community and of working with interpreters
Desirable
- Experience of multi-agency pre-birth planning (CPA) for women with serious mental illness
- Evidence of networking within the Perinatal Psychitatry Specialty
- Experience of working in obstetrics and gynaecology
- Experience of planning and delivery of training in response to identified needs
- Experience of contributing to policies and procedures
- Experience of supervising mental health / non mental health professionals
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options
- Team/self management and organisational skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service
- Ability to contribute to and facilitate effective multidisciplinary/multi-agency working
- Ability to implement evidence-based practice
- Ability to liaise and offer highly specialist consultation to other agencies effectively
- Ability to provide highly specialist therapeutic assessments and a range of therapeutic intervention
- Ability to effectively manage own clinical and administrative caseload and work under pressure at times of change
- Ability to identify, recognise and understand safeguarding children and adult issues and refer appropriately
- Ability to develop and deliver training on perinatal mental health and associated issues such as safeguarding children, domestic violence
- Ability to provide supervision to staff within own and other disciplines and to use supervision effectively
- Ability to work flexibly across service boundaries and with professionals from health care settings such as maternity services
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both oral and written
- Ability to work effectively with women from diverse minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds and with families with a high level of deprivation, social isolation, exclusion and stigma.
- Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary and 'virtual' team
Desirable
- Computer literate to an intermediate/ advanced le
Knowledge and Understanding
Essential
- Up to date knowledge of evidence based practice and current developments in perinatal psychiatry
- Knowledge about mental illness in the perinatal period
- Up to date knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and associated legislation and government policy and its implications for mental health services
- Up to date knowledge of the Care Act 2014 and associated legislation and government policy and its implications for mental health services
- Knowledge and understanding of diversity and equality issues and their application in perinatal psychiatry services
- Knowledge & understanding of contributions of other disciplines and professionals to a multi-agency service
- Understanding of clinical governance and audit issues
- Understanding of issues around information-sharing in relation to Child Protection and Children in Need
- Knowledge of relevant Perinatal service models
- Knowledge of relevant legislation e.g. MHA, MCA
Desirable
- Experience of conducting clinical audits
Person Specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Social work qualification and evidence of current registration on Social Work England register
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable
- Educated to degree level or equivalent
- Dual qualified as AMHP or Best interest assessor or Practice educator
- Specialist Training in perinatal & infant mental health
- Recent experience of perinatal mental health practice and/or safeguarding children and Adult practice
- Qualifications / training in specialist skills e.g. Family therapy/interventions/ psychological interventions
Experience
Essential
- Professional knowledge acquired through degree /diploma
- Extensive post qualification experience
- Extensive post qualification experience working with women with serious mental illness in a secondary mental health setting either community or impatient
- Experience of managing a caseload of service users with evidence of completing high quality assessments
- Experience of working in a complex multi-disciplinary / multi-agency context
- Experience of formal child protection processes and inter-agency work with families
- Experience of formal Adult Safeguarding processes and inter-agency work with families
- Experience of undertaking complex social needs mental state, risk and needs assessments
- Experience of working in a multi-racial/cultural community and of working with interpreters
Desirable
- Experience of multi-agency pre-birth planning (CPA) for women with serious mental illness
- Evidence of networking within the Perinatal Psychitatry Specialty
- Experience of working in obstetrics and gynaecology
- Experience of planning and delivery of training in response to identified needs
- Experience of contributing to policies and procedures
- Experience of supervising mental health / non mental health professionals
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options
- Team/self management and organisational skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service
- Ability to contribute to and facilitate effective multidisciplinary/multi-agency working
- Ability to implement evidence-based practice
- Ability to liaise and offer highly specialist consultation to other agencies effectively
- Ability to provide highly specialist therapeutic assessments and a range of therapeutic intervention
- Ability to effectively manage own clinical and administrative caseload and work under pressure at times of change
- Ability to identify, recognise and understand safeguarding children and adult issues and refer appropriately
- Ability to develop and deliver training on perinatal mental health and associated issues such as safeguarding children, domestic violence
- Ability to provide supervision to staff within own and other disciplines and to use supervision effectively
- Ability to work flexibly across service boundaries and with professionals from health care settings such as maternity services
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both oral and written
- Ability to work effectively with women from diverse minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds and with families with a high level of deprivation, social isolation, exclusion and stigma.
- Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary and 'virtual' team
Desirable
- Computer literate to an intermediate/ advanced le
Knowledge and Understanding
Essential
- Up to date knowledge of evidence based practice and current developments in perinatal psychiatry
- Knowledge about mental illness in the perinatal period
- Up to date knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and associated legislation and government policy and its implications for mental health services
- Up to date knowledge of the Care Act 2014 and associated legislation and government policy and its implications for mental health services
- Knowledge and understanding of diversity and equality issues and their application in perinatal psychiatry services
- Knowledge & understanding of contributions of other disciplines and professionals to a multi-agency service
- Understanding of clinical governance and audit issues
- Understanding of issues around information-sharing in relation to Child Protection and Children in Need
- Knowledge of relevant Perinatal service models
- Knowledge of relevant legislation e.g. MHA, MCA
Desirable
- Experience of conducting clinical audits
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Westminster Perinatal Mental Health Services
Garway Medical Centre.
Hallfield Estate
W26HF
Employer's website
https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)
