Senior Social worker

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To deliver, or support the delivery of, highly specialist evidence-based mental health assessment, care planning, treatment and review for women in the perinatal period.
2. To provide specialist consultation, advice and support to both CNWL, local Maternity Hospital in-patient and community services on best practice when working with women with mental health needs; at preconception, pregnant women and women with infants up to one year old.
3. To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex and challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old.
4. To work in consultation with other professionals making known concerns regarding safeguarding children and/or adults to the appropriate and responsible service. This includes attending Child Protection and Review Conferences as appropriate where the child is at risk because of the mothers mental illness.
5. To work with colleagues to establish a clear process and criteria for receiving referrals to undertake direct work or information for advice and liaison work.
6. To assist in setting up structures that allow the dissemination of knowledge and skills regarding working with perinatal women in both in-patient and community services.
7. To liaise and work with specialist tertiary services such as Mother & Baby Units, personality disorder services, eating disorder services etc.
8. To work with fathers, partners and significant others to provide appropriate education training and support.
9. To identify carers and refer/sign post for assessment as appropriate
10. To work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team exercising autonomous professional responsibility for managing a clinical caseload independently, providing highly specialist assessments and follow-up for women referred with complex problems, which includes assessment of risk in terms of self-harm, self-neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic violence and safeguarding children.
11. To seek consultation where necessary with clinical supervisor and/or line manager on clinical work and participate in regular supervision.
12. To be mindful of the needs of women and their families from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious and social backgrounds and to develop, with colleagues, sensitive and innovative ways of meeting these needs.
13. To ensure that all Trust Perinatal service users have a perinatal care plan, which is implemented. This may require attending and contributing to pre and post-birth meetings,
14. To work with other professionals insupporting them to implement an agreed parent infant care plan.
15. To attend the CNWL and out of borough Safeguarding Children multidisciplinary meetings and any other relevant multidisciplinary meetings within Maternity services, as appropriate.
16. To be responsible for monitoring, recording and reporting on clinical work and communicating highly complex clinical information to a variety of recipients (e.g. patients, families and carers, other professionals) orally and in writing.
17. To be responsible for developing and maintaining knowledge of local resources and developing excellent working relationships with relevant statutory, voluntary and community groups and organisations.

Education and qualifications

Essential

• oRegistered Social work qualification and evidence of current registration on HPCC register
• oEvidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• oEducated to degree level or equivalent
• oDual qualified as AMHP or Best interest assessor or Practice educator
• oSpecialist Training in perinatal & infant mental health
• oRecently experience of perinatal mental health practice and/or safeguarding children practice
• oQualifications / training in specialist skills e.g. Family therapy/interventions/ psychological interventions

Experience

Essential

• oProfessional knowledge acquired through degree /diploma
• oSubstantial experience post qualification
• oSubstantial experience post qualification working with women with serious mental illness
• oExperience of managing a caseload of service users with evidence of completing high quality assessments
• oExperience of working in a complex multi-disciplinary / multi-agency context
• oExperience of formal child protection processes and inter-agency work with families
• oExperience of undertaking complex social needs, mental state, risk and needs assessments
• oExperience of working in a multi-racial/cultural community and of working with interpreters

Desirable

• oExperience of multi-agency pre-birth planning (CPA) for women with serious mental illness
• oEvidence of networking within the Perinatal Psychitatry Specialty
• oExperience of working in obstetrics and gynaecology
• oExperience of planning and delivery of training in response to identified needs
• oExperience of contributing to policies and procedures
• oExperience of supervising mental health / non mental health professionals

Knowledge

Essential

• oUp to date knowledge of evidence based practice and current developments in perinatal psychiatry
• oKnowledge about mental illness in the perinatal period
• oUp to date knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and associated legislation and government policy and its implications for mental health services
• oKnowledge and understanding of diversity and equality issues and their application in perinatal psychiatry services
• oKnowledge & understanding of contributions of other disciplines and professionals to a multi-agency service
• oUnderstanding of clinical governance and audit issues
• oUnderstanding of issues around information-sharing in relation to Child Protection and Children in Need
• oKnowledge of relevant Perinatal service models
• oKnowledge of relevant legislation e.g. MHA, MCA

Desirable

• oExperience of conducting clinical audits

Skills

Essential

• oSufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options.
• oTeam/self management and organisational skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service.
• oAbility to contribute to and facilitate effective multi-disciplinary/multi-agency working
• oAbility to implement evidence-based practice
• oAbility to liaise and offer highly specialist consultation to other agencies effectively
• oAbility to provide highly specialist therapeutic assessments and a range of therapeutic interventions
• oAbility to effectively manage own clinical and administrative caseload and work under pressure at times of change
• oAbility to identify, recognise and understand safeguarding children issues and refer appropriately
• oAbility to develop and deliver training on perinatal mental health and associated issues such as safeguarding children, domestic violence
• oAbility to provide supervision to staff within own and other disciplines and to use supervision effectively
• oAbility to work flexibly across service boundaries and with professionals from health care settings such as maternity services
• oExcellent communication and interpersonal skills, both oral and written
• oAbility to work effectively with women from diverse minority ethnic and cultural backgrounds and with families with a high level of deprivation, social isolation, exclusion and stigma.
• oAbility to work as part of a multi-disciplinary and 'virtual' team

Desirable

• oComputer literate to an intermediate/ advanced level

Personal Characteristics

Essential

• oWilling to engage in and use peer and group supervision creativity.
• oSelf-motivated with the ability to think laterally to problem solve.
• oAbility to accept constructive criticism.
• oAbility to meet deadlines.
• oAbility to work under pressure and remain calm particularly in unpredictable situations where there may be exposure to highly distressed patients who may exhibit challenging behaviour
• oAble to exercise initiative, flexibility and tact.
• oCalm manner.

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.

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).