Senior Practitioner (Social Worker) CW CMHT

To provide effective clinical/social work leadership for the Central West Manchester CMHT based at Kath Locke Centre, developing and maintaining a high quality of service delivery. Working with the MDT to manage the social care panel process and supporting staff through this. Providing support within the management team to ensure oversight and efficient running of the team within best practice. The post holder will act as lead representing their own profession in wider organisational forums.

Responsibilities

• 2.1 Provide leadership, supervision, support and consultation to professionals within the team, in line with relevant clinical pathway as outlined within the operational procedures. Additionally, the post holder will act as lead representing their own profession in wider organisational forums.
• 2.2 Manage and evaluate a caseload in line with relevant clinical pathway as outlined within the operational procedure and will include: – Assessment, Formulation, Therapeutic intervention as required, Signposting, Close working with all colleagues, To be responsible for a small complex caseload
• 2.3 Undertake line management responsibility for designated staff in the CMHTs. Where required.
• 2.4 Deputise for the Team Manager in his/her absence and take on any delegated management duties as required.
• 2.5 Provide on-call support on a rota basis via the Bronze On-Call Trust wide system.
• 3) Communication
• 3.1 To demonstrate high-level communication skills at all levels.
• 3.2 To utilise highly developed interpersonal skills to facilitate effective communication when there are barriers to understanding or in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive situation.
• 3.3 To establish and maintain robust communication networks with clients, carers, team members, other health care and social care workers and external agencies.
• 3.4 To work alongside the MDT to foster discussions around suitability for the service.
• 4) Clinical
• 4.1 To demonstrate the application of specialist skills and knowledge to maintain professional competence and fitness to practice at the level of a clinical lead.
• 4.2 To demonstrate professional and practice expertise via interventions, supervision and modelling good practice.
• 4.3 To undertake and record comprehensive risk assessment, devise and implement risk assessment plans for service users at risk of vulnerability, self-harm, self-neglect, or risk of physical, sexual, emotional harm to others.
• 4.5 To provide direct evidence based therapeutic interventions as appropriate based on the recovery model and personalisation agenda.
• 4.6 To take responsibility for managing a ring-fenced caseload of service users, with complex mental health needs.
• 4.7 Take a lead role in the supervision of staff with a focus on supporting complex case management
• 4.8 To ensure practice remains current and up to date in older adult mental health
• 4.9 To oversee and participate in Initial Assessments/Care Act Assessments.
• 5) Clinical & Social Care Governance & Quality
• 5.1 Ensure own and team compliance with all Care Programme Approach requirements as per Trust Policy.
• 5.2 Ensure that service users and carers receive clear and accurate information on: How to access the service around the clock; Confidentiality; Access to Records; Their own Assessments and Care Plans; Mental Health conditions and medication; Service Publicity, including what they can expect from the service; Community Resources; Complaints and compliments procedures; How to access Advocacy Services
• 5.3 Promote a service philosophy based on a balanced model of care, recovery and personalisation.
• 5.4 Establish quality standards relating to the service user and carer experience
• 5.5 To be responsible, in conjunction with the Team Leader and Senior Manager, for the local implementation of Directorate Action Plans.
• 5.6 Establish quality assurance systems to monitor and audit these standards.
• 5.7 Undertake and participate in complaint investigations
• 5.8 Undertake and participate in Root Cause Analysis reviews.
• 5.9 Utilise activity reports relating to the work of the CMHTs to ensure efficient and effective use of resources.
• 5.10 To participate in the local Clinical and Social Care Governance structure as required.
• 5.11 To undertake local audits and reviews in line with national/local standards and service developments as required.
• 5.12 To keep abreast of, apply and advise on national and professional guidelines/legislation relating to health and social care in mental health service provision.
• 5.13 To ensures that standards of practice are maintained in accordance with the professionals Code of Professional Conduct and Trust policy and procedure.
• 6) Service Management
• In conjunction with the leadership team: 6.1 Manage the workload of the CMHT\’s ensuring that appropriate systems are in place for: Reception, triage and assessment of referrals via the duty system; Allocation, transfer and discharge / closure of case responsibility.
• 6.2 Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and statutory guidance within the framework of Care Programme Approach.
• 6.3 Ensure team compliance with reliant Trust, Professional and City Councils policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines.
• 6.4 Chair multidisciplinary professional and business meetings, case planning meetings and reviews, including adult safeguarding strategy meetings and Best Interest Meetings.
• 6.5 Participate in bronze on-call/bronze on-site rotas as required.
• 6.6 Act up for the management team as required.
• 6.7 To lead on RCA Reviews and take responsibility for implementing action recommendations arising.

Trust Mandatory On-going Requirements

• To be met by the candidate after commencing in post: undertake any other reasonable duty, when requested to do so by an appropriate Trust manager. To understand and comply with all Trust policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines. To understand the Trusts Strategic Goals and how you can support them. To understand the need to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and adhere to all principles in effective safeguarding. To carry out all duties and responsibilities of the post in accordance with Equal Opportunities, Equality and Diversity and dignity in care/work policies and principles. To avoid unlawful discriminatory behaviour and actions when dealing with the colleagues, services users, members of the public and all stakeholders. To access only information, where paper, electronic, or, in another media, which is authorised to you as part of the duties of your role. Not to communicate to anyone or inside or outside the NHS, information relating to patients, services users, staff, contractors or any information of a commercially sensitive nature, unless done in the normal course of carrying out the duties of the post and with appropriate permission. To maintain high standards of quality in corporate and clinical record keeping ensuring information is always recorded accurately, appropriately and kept up to date. To ensure their day-to-day activities embrace sustainability and reduce the impact upon the environment by minimising waste and maximising recycling; saving energy; minimising water usage and reporting electrical faults, water leakages or other environmental concerns to the facilities department or their line manager. To take reasonable care of the health and safety of yourself and other persons; To contribute to the control of risk and to report any incident, accident or near miss; To protect service users, visitors and employees against the risk of acquiring health care associated infections. To take responsibility for your own learning and development by recognising and taking advantage of all opportunities to learn in line with appraisal and supervision.

Important Information about working for GMMH

• All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, for further information on the checks required please visit the NHS Employers website www.nhsemployers.org
• The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.
• We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we\’d love to hear from you.
• Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications. A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one\’s achievements, success and challenges. We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.
• Sponsorship. We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government\’s website – click here.
• If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.
• The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it here.
• Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer. Do you have experience outside the NHS?
• We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities. We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.
• Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.
• We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.
• Greater Manchester is one of the world\’s most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.
• Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.
• Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users. The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Note: some sections in the original description contained extraneous marks and multiple duplicated items. The refined format consolidates responsibilities and sections while preserving the original content intent.