East London NHS Foundation Trust

Senior Social Worker

The closing date is 24 July 2025

Job summary

ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving 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.

Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard Community Mental Health Teams provide compassionate person-centred interventions to people experiencing mental ill-health in the Towns of Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.

All Social Workers in the mental health teams have access to a host of brand new facilities at the newly opened Grove View Health and care hub!

The new hub strengthens ELFT's award winning social care presence and ethos.

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Social Worker, you will act as the champion and leader of social care and safeguarding in the Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard Mental Health Teams.

You will be expected to give robust, consistent, and expert social care practice advice in partnership with specialist senior social care and health colleagues. You will promote high quality, recovery-focused and cost-effective social care services to service users and their carers, focused on the principles of choice, control and independence, as well as ensuring safety.

About us

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.

Details

Date posted

10 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Reference number

363-BED7208127-A

Job locations

Grove View

Grove View Integrated Health Hub | 2nd Floor | Court Drive | Dunstable | Bedfordshire LU5 4JD

Dunstable

LU5 4JD


Job description

Job responsibilities

Click on the link below to see our exciting new base for South Bedfordshire Social Workers!

https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/18/health_and_social_care/726/grove_view_integrated_health_and_care_hub_and_grove_view_apartments

At the Hub the team Senior Social Worker provides intensive support to ensure that bespoke professional supervision is readily available for all our social workers.

The excellent work of the Social Work Learning and Development Project Lead ensures that continuous learning is at the heart of Social Work in Bedfordshire.

The Trust offers an established ASYE programme for newly qualified social workers. CPD pathways beyond the ASYE include:

AMHP/Leadership/Academy/AMCP/Practice Educator/ASYE Assessor training structures.

Bespoke training opportunities are also available as part of your yearly appraisal.

In short; now is a good time to be working as a social worker for ELFT in South Bedfordshire!

Job description

Job responsibilities

Click on the link below to see our exciting new base for South Bedfordshire Social Workers!

https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/info/18/health_and_social_care/726/grove_view_integrated_health_and_care_hub_and_grove_view_apartments

At the Hub the team Senior Social Worker provides intensive support to ensure that bespoke professional supervision is readily available for all our social workers.

The excellent work of the Social Work Learning and Development Project Lead ensures that continuous learning is at the heart of Social Work in Bedfordshire.

The Trust offers an established ASYE programme for newly qualified social workers. CPD pathways beyond the ASYE include:

AMHP/Leadership/Academy/AMCP/Practice Educator/ASYE Assessor training structures.

Bespoke training opportunities are also available as part of your yearly appraisal.

In short; now is a good time to be working as a social worker for ELFT in South Bedfordshire!

Person Specification

essential

Essential

  • oAn appropriate social work qualification

essential

Essential

  • oRegistration with Social Work England

essential

Essential

  • oMaster's degree or equivalent post-qualifying training

essential

Desirable

  • oOther relevant post-qualification training (e.g .CBT, family therapy, Best Interest Assessor training

essential

Essential

  • oApproved Mental Health Professional training and qualification (or prepared to undertake training within a year of appointment to role)

essential

Essential

  • oRelevant post-qualifying training for social workers

essential

Essential

  • Substantial post-qualification experience with demonstrable evidence of excellent practice at advanced level

essential

Essential

  • Extensive knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance, theory, and policy in relation to adult and children's social care

essential

Essential

  • Experience of undertaking assessment focused on personalisation, choice and control, and care planning

essential

Essential

  • Understanding of and experience of use of personal budgets and direct payments
  • Experience of supervising and mentoring others
  • Evidence of multidisciplinary and collaborative working
  • Evidence of partnership working with service users and carers, demonstrating dignity and respect, particularly in very challenging situations
  • Excellent ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, including service users and carers, other professionals and colleagues, members of other organisations and locally communities - verbally and in writing
  • Evidence of successful management of challenging meetings
  • Experience of using electronic record systems and ability to produce accurate, appropriate, and timely reports
  • Ability to analyse service user and carer information
  • Experience of undertaking small scale audits and surveys
  • Understanding of basic research methods
  • Demonstrable ability to working sensitively with diverse needs and environments
  • Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice
Person Specification

essential

Essential

  • oAn appropriate social work qualification

essential

Essential

  • oRegistration with Social Work England

essential

Essential

  • oMaster's degree or equivalent post-qualifying training

essential

Desirable

  • oOther relevant post-qualification training (e.g .CBT, family therapy, Best Interest Assessor training

essential

Essential

  • oApproved Mental Health Professional training and qualification (or prepared to undertake training within a year of appointment to role)

essential

Essential

  • oRelevant post-qualifying training for social workers

essential

Essential

  • Substantial post-qualification experience with demonstrable evidence of excellent practice at advanced level

essential

Essential

  • Extensive knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance, theory, and policy in relation to adult and children's social care

essential

Essential

  • Experience of undertaking assessment focused on personalisation, choice and control, and care planning

essential

Essential

  • Understanding of and experience of use of personal budgets and direct payments
  • Experience of supervising and mentoring others
  • Evidence of multidisciplinary and collaborative working
  • Evidence of partnership working with service users and carers, demonstrating dignity and respect, particularly in very challenging situations
  • Excellent ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders, including service users and carers, other professionals and colleagues, members of other organisations and locally communities - verbally and in writing
  • Evidence of successful management of challenging meetings
  • Experience of using electronic record systems and ability to produce accurate, appropriate, and timely reports
  • Ability to analyse service user and carer information
  • Experience of undertaking small scale audits and surveys
  • Understanding of basic research methods
  • Demonstrable ability to working sensitively with diverse needs and environments
  • Commitment to anti-discriminatory practice

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).

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.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Grove View

Grove View Integrated Health Hub | 2nd Floor | Court Drive | Dunstable | Bedfordshire LU5 4JD

Dunstable

LU5 4JD


Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Grove View

Grove View Integrated Health Hub | 2nd Floor | Court Drive | Dunstable | Bedfordshire LU5 4JD

Dunstable

LU5 4JD


Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Social Care Lead

Mark Shields

mark.shields@nhs.net

07435733580

Details

Date posted

10 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Compressed hours

Reference number

363-BED7208127-A

Job locations

Grove View

Grove View Integrated Health Hub | 2nd Floor | Court Drive | Dunstable | Bedfordshire LU5 4JD

Dunstable

LU5 4JD


Supporting documents

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