Job summary
This is a unique and exciting opportunity for a Forensic Social Worker to join our innovative, clinically and forensically skilled centralised Health Public Protection Hub, offering highly specialist risk formulation and management advice, guidance, training and expertise to clinical teams and clinicians working across all divisions in the trust. The Forensic Social Worker within the team will provide case consultation on the risk of dangerous to others, by completing forensic risk assessment tools.
The role of the Forensic Social Worker involves extensive liaison between external agencies central to MAPPA, Victim Liaison and PREVENT.
The successful applicant will undergo an extensive training programme on the formulation of risk specifically with regards to sexual and violent offenders and the management of their risk towards others. The successful applicant will gain knowledge and expertise around the National Victims Agenda and the PREVENT/Channel programme. There will be an expectation to attend MAPPA and Channel Panels meetings as a core panel member, representing the trust.
Main duties of the job
To take the lead with the National Victims Agenda by implementing this across the trust.
To liaise with the Victim Liaison Officers in the North West in embedding this agenda in clinical practice.
To provide advice and guidance to colleagues in the hub on the risk of harm to others from a social care perspective.
To liaise with colleagues in the Local Authority and Criminal Justice Systems, and provide advice on the management of harm to others from a social care perspective.
To provide advice and guidance to clinical teams within the trust, on the Victims Agenda and raise awareness of the consideration of victims in day to day clinical practice and at key points in a patient's journey.
To liaise with external secure hospital providers in their identification of MAPPA nominals by providing that conduit between them and Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in the patient's journey.
Applicants must be qualified Social Workers, registered with Social Work England and have relevant experience in a leadership role. We are particularly interested in applicants with backgrounds in the following areas: forensic, learning disabilities, children and young people and neuro-diversities.
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will be an active member of a multi-disciplinary team and will bring a social care perspective to the management of harm towards others. You will be responsible for gathering data and information for assessment and risk analysis which may be complex. You will undertake case consultations on the analysis of risk in relation to public, staff and of re-offending.
The role involves working collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues in providing a case consultation service within a forensic patient population. You will provide a professional social work perspective to the Health Public Protection Hub.
The successful candidate will have the ability to deliver an efficient and high-quality social care service, have well developed risk assessment and analytical skills alongside effective interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
You must have good knowledge of the key relevant Health & Social Care and Criminal Justice legislation to work in a forensic setting as well as good knowledge around safeguarding and the management of risk to others frameworks and take a lead role for the Victims Agenda within the hub.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will be an active member of a multi-disciplinary team and will bring a social care perspective to the management of harm towards others. You will be responsible for gathering data and information for assessment and risk analysis which may be complex. You will undertake case consultations on the analysis of risk in relation to public, staff and of re-offending.
The role involves working collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues in providing a case consultation service within a forensic patient population. You will provide a professional social work perspective to the Health Public Protection Hub.
The successful candidate will have the ability to deliver an efficient and high-quality social care service, have well developed risk assessment and analytical skills alongside effective interpersonal, communication and organisational skills.
You must have good knowledge of the key relevant Health & Social Care and Criminal Justice legislation to work in a forensic setting as well as good knowledge around safeguarding and the management of risk to others frameworks and take a lead role for the Victims Agenda within the hub.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Social Work or DipSW or CQSW.
- Current Social Work England registration.
- Post-qualifying training (formally or work based) in relevant areas of social work and/or mental health, learning disability or forensics. Evidence of significant continuing professional and personal development.
Desirable
- Masters Degree (MSW) or Post Graduate (PGDipSW)
- Qualifications relating to the Mental Capacity Act, e.g., Best Interest Assessor
- Practice Educator qualification 1 & 2 (PEPS).
- Approved Mental Health Professional Qualification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Suitable post qualifying experience as a Social Worker.
- Good working knowledge of legislative guidance and policy e.g., Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, Human Rights Act and criminal justice frameworks e.g., MAPPA, Victim Liaison, MARAC and Carers' Rights.
- Knowledge and application of professional standards, codes of conduct and Social Work England standards of proficiency and Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).
- Good working understanding of Information Governance, Data Protection and confidentiality.
- Ability to assess and manage complex cases in a multidisciplinary team setting.
- Skilled at assessing and implementing risk management frameworks.
- Skilled at assessing and promoting the involvement of people in developing their own care/ support plans using a strength and asset-based approach.
- An understanding of Equality, Inclusion and protected characteristics.
- Experience of working with service users with mental disorders and/or learning disabilities.
- Experience of multidisciplinary team working and promoting social work/social care.
- Experience of presenting reports in formal setting, e.g., Courts, Mental Health Tribunals, Safeguarding Strategy.
- Experience in working with families
- Experience of child and adult safeguarding.
Desirable
- Experience of working with forensic service users.
- Experience of supervising others
Values
Essential
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
Skills
Essential
- To be able to practice safely and effectively within scope of practice.
- To be able to practice within the legal and ethical boundaries of Social Work profession.
- Understand the key concepts of the knowledge base relevant to Social Work profession
- Be able to draw on appropriate knowledge and skills to inform practice.
- Develop written documents including report writing relevant for practice
- An ability to manage time, prioritise work and meet deadlines.
- To be able to practice as an autonomous professional.
- To be able to communicate effectively
- To be able to build compassionate and effective relationships
- To be able to maintain records appropriate.
- Interpersonal skills and resilience to manage complex clinical case work
- Written and verbal communication skills to engage with patients, carers and professionals
- Well-developed analytic and judgement skills, dealing with complex situations where required to lead on professional social work opinions
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Degree in Social Work or DipSW or CQSW.
- Current Social Work England registration.
- Post-qualifying training (formally or work based) in relevant areas of social work and/or mental health, learning disability or forensics. Evidence of significant continuing professional and personal development.
Desirable
- Masters Degree (MSW) or Post Graduate (PGDipSW)
- Qualifications relating to the Mental Capacity Act, e.g., Best Interest Assessor
- Practice Educator qualification 1 & 2 (PEPS).
- Approved Mental Health Professional Qualification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Suitable post qualifying experience as a Social Worker.
- Good working knowledge of legislative guidance and policy e.g., Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, Human Rights Act and criminal justice frameworks e.g., MAPPA, Victim Liaison, MARAC and Carers' Rights.
- Knowledge and application of professional standards, codes of conduct and Social Work England standards of proficiency and Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF).
- Good working understanding of Information Governance, Data Protection and confidentiality.
- Ability to assess and manage complex cases in a multidisciplinary team setting.
- Skilled at assessing and implementing risk management frameworks.
- Skilled at assessing and promoting the involvement of people in developing their own care/ support plans using a strength and asset-based approach.
- An understanding of Equality, Inclusion and protected characteristics.
- Experience of working with service users with mental disorders and/or learning disabilities.
- Experience of multidisciplinary team working and promoting social work/social care.
- Experience of presenting reports in formal setting, e.g., Courts, Mental Health Tribunals, Safeguarding Strategy.
- Experience in working with families
- Experience of child and adult safeguarding.
Desirable
- Experience of working with forensic service users.
- Experience of supervising others
Values
Essential
- Continuous Improvement
- Accountability
- Respectfulness
- Enthusiasm
- Support
- High professional standards
- Responsive to service users
- Engaging leadership style
- Strong customer service belief
- Transparency and honesty
- Discreet
- Change oriented
Skills
Essential
- To be able to practice safely and effectively within scope of practice.
- To be able to practice within the legal and ethical boundaries of Social Work profession.
- Understand the key concepts of the knowledge base relevant to Social Work profession
- Be able to draw on appropriate knowledge and skills to inform practice.
- Develop written documents including report writing relevant for practice
- An ability to manage time, prioritise work and meet deadlines.
- To be able to practice as an autonomous professional.
- To be able to communicate effectively
- To be able to build compassionate and effective relationships
- To be able to maintain records appropriate.
- Interpersonal skills and resilience to manage complex clinical case work
- Written and verbal communication skills to engage with patients, carers and professionals
- Well-developed analytic and judgement skills, dealing with complex situations where required to lead on professional social work opinions
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
