Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services)

HEO Senior Mental Health Social Worker

The closing date is 21 July 2025

Job summary

Here at Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC), we are an inclusive and dedicated organisation working to provide excellent care to out entitled personnel!

Are you a highly skilled Senior Mental Health Social Worker looking for an exciting and rewarding role? Are you seeking job satisfaction, numerous benefits, and training opportunities? Would you like your career to take a different direction into a friendly and professional organisation? If the answer is yes, you would be well-suited to the Senior Mental Health Social Worker role that we have at the Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) at RAF Digby.

This is a Part Time role offering 20 hours per week.

Due to some travel and occasional overnight stays a full UK driving licence is required for this position.

Benefits:

£5,000 market skills supplement per annum pro-rata
Professional Registration Fees Re-imbursed
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
Access to join the station gym
Free parking
Onsite cafe and shop

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will provide effective Mental Health Social Work (MHSW) in support of a designated Department of Community Mental Health, Defence Mental Health Social Work Service and the wider Defence Mental Health Services.

About us

Our success depends on our people, our Whole Force regular and reservist military, civil servants and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly to deliver for us.

Our civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, developing strategy, making policy, supporting ministerial decision-making and Parliamentary processes. In fact, with over 2,000 different roles working across 650 sites around the world, now really is an excellent time to join one of the largest, most exciting departments in government.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to attracting and retaining people from across the full range of backgrounds and enabling flexible ways of working as the norm. We offer maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.

In return, you can expect a department that helps you learn and develop that recognises your expertise and contribution, both as an individual and part of a team.

If you've ever wanted to do more, see more, go further or be better, we have roles in more professions and vocations than ever before. Let's see where your future will take you, together.

Date posted

27 June 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£36,530 a year Pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part-time

Reference number

K0003-25-0291

Job locations

Department of Community Mental Health

RAF Digby

Ashby De La Launde

Lincolnshire

LN4 3LH

Job description

Job responsibilities

Responsibilities include but are not limited to :

Providing effective Mental Health Social Work (MHSW) in support of a designated Department of Community Mental Health, Defence Mental Health Social Work Service and the wider Defence Mental Health Services.
Contributing to the development of service delivery, suggesting developmental initiatives in support of observations.
Managing patient caseloads according to DCMH allocation processes and practices as directed by the clinical team lead and the MHSW Regional Lead.
Supporting the management of the DCMH by providing direct delivery advice for MHSW to the DCMH line manager and or the MHSW Regional Lead.
Assisting management and DCMH by providing advice and support on safeguarding issues and practice as DCMH Safeguarding Lead.
Undertaking such additional clinical/management tasks as may be appropriate to the grade and the role agreed in discussion with their line manager / Head of Service (HoS).

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.

Selection Process

The selection at sift stage will be based on your CV. At interview, you will be tested against the following Behaviours:

Changing and Improving
Making Effective Decisions
Communicating and Influencing
Working Together
Managing a Quality Service

At interview a case study may be required, the case study will be provided 10 minutes before the interview.

Please ensure you demonstrate that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and memberships in the CV section of the application form. Please make sure no personal details are included.

To be eligible to be considered for this role, qualifications and memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.

Further Information

This is a reserved post, which are open to UK nationals only, while non reserved are open to UK, Commonwealth, EEA and certain non-EEA nationals. Contact your recruitment team if you are unsure about this jobs status.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

If found successful for this position, you will be required to provide evidence of your immunity to Hepatitis B. Please note that evidence of your vaccination is not a proof of your immunity, but your serology levels will be required. Failure to provide sufficient evidence may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn.

Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.https://www.youtube.com/@DMS_MilMed

There is no requirement to deploy as this is met by our uniformed personnel, but you will form the continuity of care required by our patients when based at home.

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact dbscivpers-sgdmsresourcingteam@mod.gov.uk.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.