Job summary
Be at the heart of our community!
We have an exciting opportunity for a qualified Band 6 Social Worker to join us in delivering community mental health care within the St Albans area of Hertfordshire and surrounding villages.
The area is well served with transport links to historic Hertfordshire and its glorious countryside as well as into London and beyond. We are looking for a Social Worker who is passionate about care delivering care to adults with mental health issues.
We would welcome applications from London based Social Workers looking to move to this idyllic part of the county.
You MUST BE a registered with Social Work England in order to apply for this role. Previous applicants need not apply.
This role attracts a Golden Hello of £3,500, new employees only. £1,500 on commencement and £2,000 on completion of one years' employment. Terms and conditions apply.
For an informal chat, please contact Rob Hill on 01727 804700 or email
Main duties of the job
All Social Workers must be registered with Social Work England.
As a Social Worker, you will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, providing high quality social care services to adults of all ages experiencing mental ill-health. The core functions of the role will be to provide assessment, care planning and coordination of care from a social perspective to adults accessing the service.
You will delivery recovery-focused care and support to service users and their carers that is focused on the principles of choice, control, and independence, as well as ensuring safety.
You will actively address adversity and will support adults at risk of social inclusion and assist adults accessing support to deal with a range of adverse circumstances. You will actively champion equality and diversity and be expected to challenge discrimination in all it's forms as part of your role.
You will hold a caseload which may comprise of adults experiencing a wide range of mental health and social care needs. You will ensure that you maintain constant reflection and development of your practice and will ensure your continuing professional development in line with the standards set out by the professional regulator, Social Work England.
If you are not already an AMHP, you will be prepared to undertake the training required to undertake the AMHP role as your career progresses. If you are already an AMHP, you will contribute to the Trust's countywide AMHP rota.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout.
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?
Job description
Job responsibilities
To be a champion of social care with a comprehensive understanding of legislation and statutory guidance.
To take a lead in the promotion of adult safeguarding practice and undertake safeguarding enquires and contribute to the provision of care plans that protect both adults and children from abuse.
To undertake comprehensive assessments and reviews, for people who may present with a high risk, or those with significant interpersonal, social, legal and/or environmental complexities, ensuring people are assessed appropriately against social care eligibility criteria as defined by The Care Act 2014.
To offer direct support to service users and their carers, and to colleagues, through information and advice, to ensure that those who do not meet social care eligibility are appropriately signposted and supported.
To ensure that appropriate health and social care services are commissioned with and on behalf of service users, including the duty to offer direct payments, and that processes are in place for service users to be charged by the local authority for the social care services they receive, if applicable.
To ensure that commissioned services allow choice to service users and carers and focus on people living in the community with appropriate support and access to universal undertake regular risk assessments and ensure that vulnerable people are kept safe.
To undertake carer assessments, including identifying contingency plans, and provision of support.
For full details of the role and responsibilities for this vacancy please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification documents attached.
We welcome an informal chat or visit to our lovely team!
Person Specification
KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Essential
1. An appropriate professional social work qualification
2. Education to degree level
3. Registration with Social Work England
4. Training in principles and application of outcomes focussed assessments and personalisation
5. Relevant post-qualifying training for social workers
6. Training and experience in Safeguarding
Desirable
7. Approved Mental Health Professional/Best Interests Assessment Training
AREAS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE
Essential
8. Strong post qualification experience
9. Knowledge of legislation, theory and policy in relation to relevant care group
10. Experience of undertaking assessments, focussed as personalisation, choice and control, and care planning
11. Understanding and experience of personal budgets and direct payments
12. Experience of multidisciplinary working and ability to work collaboratively
13. Experience of partnership working with service users and carers, demonstrating dignity and respect
Desirable
14. Experience of work as Approved Mental Health Professional and/or Best Interests Assessor
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Essential
15. Excellent ability to communication with a wide range of stakeholders including service users and carers, other professional colleagues, members of other organisations and local communities, verbally and in writing
16. Ability to manage highly sensitive information
17. Experience of using electronic recording systems and ability to produce accurate, appropriate and timely reports
ANALYTICAL SKILLS
Essential
18. Ability to analyse service user and carer information
19. Experience of undertaking small scale audits and surveys