South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
We are looking to recruit a Children's Social Worker to our Acute Perinatal Ward who will provide a child focused perinatal mental health social work service to our families.
You will work closely with the PMOA Safeguarding Lead who will offer support and guidance.
You will be an active member of the multi-disciplinary team using knowledge and skills to support colleagues in the delivery of care, assessment and treatment to mothers and their families.
You will liaise with, advise and support a range of external and partnership agencies both voluntary and statutory.
You will provide children and families social care and expertise and legislative knowledge to the service.
You will deliver these services in accordance with current legislation, local authority and Trust policies and procedures.
Main duties of the job
1. To work in partnership with service users, families and carers to meet social care needs within a range of highly complex situations that may arise from perinatal mental health needs.
2. To provide an effective social work service for service users, their families and carers by ensuring access to appropriate resources from local authorities and a range of external agencies on a national level.
3. To make referrals where appropriate and to provide and access advocacy, information and guidance for service users, carers and agencies.
4. To work as a member of the multi-disciplinary ward team exercising social work professional responsibility by case discussions and support for women referred with complex problems, which includes assessment of risk in terms of self-harm, self-neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic abuse and exploitation, safeguarding children and adults.
5. Provide general support to Nursery Nurses, Support Workers and other learners in the work environment by providing training and assessing competence alongside the Safeguarding Lead.
About us
About the team:
We are a 13-bed acute female ward, providing evidence-based mental health treatment for both pregnant women and women with babies under one year old.
Our service is for women who present with an acute or relapsing mental illness e.g. schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, affective disorders. Additionally, and unique to the perinatal specialism, is the presentation of postpartum psychosis which is considered a psychiatric emergency.
Our aim in promoting recovery is twofold: a) for women to develop confidence in their vital role as mothers and to have a lasting return to their community and b) for babies to grow up to be physically healthy, emotionally capable and securely attached so that they can lead happy lives.
You will join a team who is fully committed to providing the highest level of care to our service users.
About the location:
We are based at Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 3BX.
Our Trust headquarters is located at Denmark Hill less than 5 minutes from the train station (zone 2). We also provide services and operate across other locations, such as London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.
Job responsibilities
1. Work in partnership with service users, families and carers to meet social care needs within a range of highly complex situations that may arise from perinatal mental health needs.
2. Provide an effective social work service for service users, their families and carers by ensuring access to appropriate resources from local authorities and a range of external agencies on a national level.
3. Make referrals where appropriate and provide and access advocacy, information and guidance for service users, carers and agencies.
4. Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary ward team exercising social work professional responsibility by case discussions and support for women referred with complex problems, which includes assessment of risk in terms of self-harm, self-neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic abuse and exploitation, safeguarding children and adults.
5. Coordinate care for service users and their babies by undertaking risk assessments and plans for aftercare informed by specialist knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004, the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Care Act 2014, in accordance with policy guidance and procedures.
6. Engage service users and their families providing direct work as appropriate to support positive parenting and mental health recovery.
7. Contribute to complex risk assessment and ongoing risk management and safety planning in the community. To contribute to safe discharge planning and arrangements in accordance with child safeguarding, mental health legislation, policy and procedures.
8. Provide social work advice, training and supervision to ward staff alongside the PMOA Safeguarding Lead with a focus on particular aspects of child safeguarding and family law within the context of perinatal mental ill-health.
9. Work closely with the PMOA Safeguarding Lead in the implementation of child safeguarding practices, promoting the welfare of children and to follow national, London, and SLaM child protection policies and procedures. To attend local and out of area multi-agency child safeguarding meetings as required.
10. Implement adult safeguarding procedures in accordance with inter-agency and trust Procedures for Safeguarding Adults including domestic abuse and exploitation.
11. Work closely and effectively with a variety of other professional disciplines and external statutory and independent agencies to meet the complex needs of users and their carers within the hospital and or community setting.
12. Be aware of the needs of women and their families from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious and social backgrounds. To apply social work ethical principles and values and to use critical reflection and analysis to respect diversity and to guide professional practice in sensitive and innovative ways.
13. Promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, maintaining an awareness of the equality and diversity policy and working to create and maintain a safe, supportive and welcoming environment where all people are treated with dignity and their identity and culture are valued and respected.
14. Attend professional social work supervision with the PMOA Safeguarding Lead to promote continuous professional development.
15. Undertake specialist perinatal and SLaM mandatory training in consultation with the PMOA Safeguarding Lead.
16. Produce and write complex reports and complete agreed core tasks for SLaM undertaking procedural and administrative duties related to the social work function.
17. Ensure information is recorded consistently, accurately and meets statutory timescales. To ensure service user confidentiality is maintained and information is shared with the service user, carer and other agencies in accordance Trust data protection requirements.
18. Assist in appropriate service developments, quality assurance audits and research as deemed appropriate and in consultation with the PMOA Safeguarding Lead and the ward manager.
19. Carry out the duties and responsibilities of the post, in accordance with Trust Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety legislation.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* To hold a recognised social work qualification and be registered with Social Work England.
* Qualifications or training in specialist skills e.g. psychological interventions.
Knowledge
* Knowledge of key legislation central to the implementation of a professional child social work service within a perinatal mental health setting including The Children Act 1989 (2004), The Domestic Abuse Act 2021, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
* Working knowledge of the Care Act 2014 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 specific to the context of adult safeguarding procedures. Knowledge and understanding of responsibilities in safeguarding of vulnerable adults including domestic abuse.
* Significant knowledge and understanding of child development, parenting capacity, environmental factors and risk and protective procedures.
* Knowledge and understanding of diversity and equality issues and their application in perinatal psychiatry.
Experience
* Experience and understanding of applying evidence-based approaches and best practice principles in working with service users and their families.
* Ability to work effectively with women and families from diverse minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds and with families with a high level of deprivation, social isolation, exclusion and stigma.
* Experience of direct working with infants, children, young people and their families where perinatal mental health is a factor.
* Experience of multi-agency pre-birth planning (CPA) for women with serious mental illness.
Skills
* Ability to liaise with and offer highly specialist consultation to other agencies effectively.
* The ability to effectively manage time and competing demands in a high pressured environment.
* Effective written and verbal communication and recording skills.
* Ability to understand and reflect on the complexity of issues pertaining to parenting with a mental illness. And to have an awareness and sensitivity to the potential professional and personal challenges of maintaining a simultaneous focus on children's and parental needs.
* IT skills, proficiency in the use of Outlook, Word and electronic service user database systems.
* Evidence of networking within the Perinatal Psychiatry Specialty.
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.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
£51,883 to £58,544 a year per annum incl. of Outer HCAs.
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