Social Worker STEVENAGE

We have an exciting opportunity for a Social Worker to join our Adult Community Mental Health Services Team in Stevenage. 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 delivering care to adults with mental health issues.

We can offer you a competitive salary, staff benefits package, excellent career development and training that comes from working for Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. Whilst it is a challenging period for the NHS, there has never been a more exciting time to join HPFT. We are on a "Good to Great" journey as we continue to innovate, improve, transform and deliver the very highest standards of care to the service users and communities that we serve.

Main duties of the job:

• Registered with Social Work England.
• Experience of working in a community based setting.
• Responsible for the delivery of care to an allocated caseload of clients living in the Community experiencing, or recovering from, mental health difficulties.
• Provide direct support and advice to Service Users and Carers, within the recovery framework.
• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary Team, working in partnership with a range of stakeholders inside and outside of the Trust.
• Provide high quality social care services to adults of all ages experiencing mental ill-health.
• Deliver 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.
• Hold a caseload which may comprise of adults experiencing a wide range of mental health and social care needs.
• Maintain constant reflection and development of your practice and ensure your continuing professional development in line with the standards set out by the professional regulator, Social Work England.
• If not already an AMHP, be prepared to undertake the training required to undertake the AMHP role as your career progresses.
• If already an AMHP, contribute to the Trust's countywide AMHP rota.

About us:

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission. Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout: Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Job responsibilities:

• Be a champion of social care with a comprehensive understanding of legislation and statutory guidance.
• 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.
• 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.
• Offer direct support to service users and their carers, and to colleagues, through information and advice.
• Ensure that appropriate health and social care services are commissioned with and on behalf of service users.
• Undertake regular risk assessments and ensure that vulnerable people are kept safe.
• Be skilled in partnership working and identify, develop, and facilitate a wide range of recovery-focused community services.
• Ensure the involvement of service users and their carers to learn from their experiences to make improvements to service delivery.
• Ensure accurate computer records of all work undertaken are kept up to date.
• Provide both management and reflective supervision to newly qualified social workers and unregistered social care staff.
• Support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE).
• Participate in your own regular supervision and ensure regular reflection on your own practice.
• Undertake other tasks and duties which form part of the delegated social care responsibilities accepted by the Trust.
• Adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
• Undertake additional training as required.

Working Relationships:

The postholder will be expected to work as part of the multi-disciplinary team, in partnership with service users and carers and a wide range of stakeholders within and outside of the Trust.

Communication Requirements:

The postholder will receive and share highly complex, sensitive, and contentious information about service users and carers with other professionals and key stakeholders.

Clinical Responsibility:

The postholder will demonstrate professional knowledge and competence gained through social work training, leading to registration with Social Work England.

Leadership and Management Responsibility:

The postholder will be professionally accountable for their own activities and for the advice and guidance they give to other qualified and unqualified staff within the locality.

Financial Responsibility:

The postholder will be an authorised signatory for packages of care for service users and carers within a delegated scheme of responsibility.

Service Development and Improvement:

The postholder will implement policy and propose changes in relation to general social care and mental health practice and development.

Analytical and Judgement Skills:

The postholder will assess needs and outcomes and analyse a wide range of information in relation to service users and carers.

Planning and Organisational Skills:

The postholder will plan and organise activities requiring formulation and adjustment which may be complex.

Physical Working Conditions and Environment:

The postholder will undertake visits in a variety of environments, within and outside of Hertfordshire.

Mental and Emotional Effort:

Within the role there is a frequent requirement for prolonged concentration, which is required when dealing with service users and carers who may be experiencing a crisis.

Person Specification:

Knowledge and Experience:

• An appropriate professional Social Work qualification.
• Registration with Social Work England.
• Training in principles and application of outcomes, focussed assessments and personalisation.

Desirable:

• Approved Mental Health Professional / Best Interests Assessment Training.
• Experience of work as an Approved Mental Health Professional and/or Best Interests Assessor.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship:

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

UK Registration:

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.