EIS Community Care Co-ordinator (Social Worker/RMN) | East London NHS Foundation Trust in Bedford

We are currently expanding the well-established Countywide Early Intervention in Psychosis Team which provides a focussed and specific community service for the population of Bedfordshire and Luton in response to the needs of individuals and their families experiencing a first episode of psychosis. The team works across CAMH services and Adult Mental Health Services with an age range starting at 14 years. We are therefore looking for skilled Care Co-ordinators to join our teams covering Bedford.

The post holder will be a Qualified Social Worker or RMN with a sound background of working in a Community Mental Health setting and Care Coordination within CPA. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly to ensure delivery of full care packages. They will also provide psychosocial interventions and undertake specialist assessments which will require a good understanding of At Risk Mental States and Psychosis. The successful candidate will join a creative and motivated team who continue to make positive differences to families and individuals across the county. We believe that psychosis is treatable and recovery is expected.

You will be given expert support and advice from the team Senior Social Worker and Senior Nurses. The Senior Social Worker and Team Leader provide intensive support to ensure that bespoke professional supervision is readily available for all our social workers.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Care Co-ordinator to work as part of our team. You will be a registered professional and at least have one year of post qualifying experience in a relevant health or social care setting. As a Co-ordinator you will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, providing high quality social care services to adults 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 hold a caseload 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 your professional regulator.

You must have a valid driving license and the use of a car for business purposes.

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

In the role, you will liaise with acute inpatient units, the Crisis Team, Primary Care services, the Voluntary and Private Sector and contribute to providing a recovery focused model of care. You will play an active role in the discharge of our service users from hospital and will commission health and social care services as required. Partnership working is a key component of this post and you will need to be innovative in ensuring that there is a range of appropriate services locally to support individual recovery journeys.

Person specification

Experience

• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary environment/community experience.
• Experience of attending funding panels and commissioning care packages.
• Experience of working within an NHS/Local Authority environment and an understanding of the issues/policies/practice within these environments.
• Post-qualification experience within mental health services.
• Previous appointment as an AMHP /Best Interest Assessor (BIA). Social Workers are expected to train and practise as AMHP’s.

Knowledge/Skills

• To undertake comprehensive Care Act assessments and reviews, for people who may present with complex Health and Social Care needs, ensuring people are assessed appropriately against social care eligibility criteria as defined by The Care Act 2014.
• To take a lead in the promotion of adult safeguarding practice and undertake safeguarding enquiries and contribute to the provision of care plans that protect both adults and children from abuse.
• To ensure that appropriate health and social care services are commissioned with and on behalf of service users.
• To promote the use of Direct Payments in the commissioning of service user and carer care and support plans.
• To undertake regular risk assessments and ensure that vulnerable people are kept safe from harm.
• To ensure accurate records of all work undertaken are kept up to date on the service users Electronic Patient Record.
• To attend reflective practice sessions and access post qualifying and other appropriate training to ensure high standards of practice and continuation of your registration with Social Work England.
• To provide both management and reflective supervision to newly qualified Social Workers and Support Workers.
• To support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), with opportunities to train as an ASYE assessor.
• To undertake duties as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or be willing to undertake AMHP training.
• To participate in your own regular supervision and ensure regular reflection on your own practice as both a social worker and AMHP.
• To undertake other tasks and duties which form part of the delegated social care responsibilities accepted by the Trust on behalf of Central Bedfordshire.
• To adhere to Trust policies and procedures.

Additional Requirements

• Car driver essential and be able to travel between Trust sites throughout the County.
• Full driving licence.
• Flexible working according to the needs of the service and to support work/life balance and improving working lives.

Educational/Qualification

• Qualified Social Worker registered with Social Work England.
• Educated to Degree Level.

Personal Qualities

• Team player, able to negotiate and lead other professionals whilst considering competing views and agendas.
• Able to work independently, with initiative, but to seek appropriate guidance and supervision when required.
• Self-motivated, committed and open to new ideas and experiences.
• Committed to equal opportunities, and equality and diversity issues.
• Anti-discriminatory & anti-oppressive practice.
• Committed to core social work values, able to recognise that protection is sometimes required and should be carried out in the least restrictive manner observing the human and civil rights of the individual.
• A commitment to leadership & change management.