Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Social Worker to lead and shape the quality of social work practice across HPFT's adult services.
The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of the role of social work and how the profession can transform the lives of individuals with needs for care and support. The Consultant Social Worker will be knowledgeable, have experience of supervising staff and, above all, be enthusiastic about the role of social work in mental health settings. The post holder will be supporting and promoting social work practice across all areas of the organisation, including leading the ASYE programme for newly qualified social workers, engagement with the Hertfordshire Social Work Teaching Partnership, developing policies and procedures, and delivering professional supervision of the Trust's senior social workers.
Main duties of the job
The Consultant Social Worker will:
- Create, develop and maintain professional, supportive relationships with all members of staff and with other professionals and agencies.
- Empower social workers to take on a wider range of roles and responsibilities.
- Lead on and participate in research and development activities as required to improve the quality of care.
- Drive the privacy and dignity agenda and be responsible for working alongside colleagues to deliver the social care strategy in the respective community teams
- Through strong social work leadership, the post holder will support the management team to maintain and improve standards of practice/services
- The post holder will ensure that all services users and carers are treated with compassion, dignity and respect placing value on the diversity of the local community and beyond.
- They will support the professional and SBU leads in providing evidence for the governance and quality standards.
- Manage the quality of the provision of social work practice by:
- Holding community practitioners to account for delivery of their key performance indicators.Leading initiatives to increase the care provision of best social work/social care practice and innovative service ideas
- In conjunction with the community managers, ensure effective action is taken where social work performance is at risk of falling below expected levels and standards are not maintained
About us
HPFT is an integrated Trust, delivering delegated functions on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council as part of a Section 75 agreement. These include provision of assessment, support, care planning and safeguarding adults as defined by the Care Act 2014.
We aim to deliver high quality social work and social care to the people of Hertfordshire who have mental health needs, their families and carers, using the Hertfordshire County Council Connected Lives approach to community practice. The model sets out standards, principles and approaches in line with the Care Act. The Consultant Social Worker will work alongside our social care leads across Hertfordshire, to champion best practice for social work in the organisation.
HPFT is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission. This means delivering the best possible social work and social care for adults with mental health needs, and this role will be pivotal to developing the strategy and vision to do so.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that service experience through the social care pathway is of the highest quality, inspiring service user and public confidence. This will be achieved through high visibility, accessibility and surveillance.
The successful candidate will work collaboratively with other professional leads and managerial staff in the planning, development, provision and review of excellent, service user focused and cost effective integrated community pathways and ensure the interests of service users and carers are at the heart of all clinical decisions.
The Consultant Social Worker will support managers in taking appropriate action on issues of social care practice and national standards.
The post holder will provide strong professional leadership to social workers, including leadership of the ASYE programme for newly qualified social workers and representing HPFT within the Hertfordshire Social Work Teaching Partnership.
Ensure that the objectives of the social work strategy and key social care performance indicators are implemented.
Be a visible, accessible and authoritative presence across Trust services.
Work with the Senior Social Workers to ensure good standards of social work and social care practice.
Oversee and influence social work practice to ensure there are sufficient resources and opportunities to deliver person centred support, involving and engaging with service users and carers to support this.
Be responsible for the identification of training needs for social workers, and plan how these will be met, and evaluate the effectiveness for learners and impact on care.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be responsible for ensuring that service experience through the social care pathway is of the highest quality, inspiring service user and public confidence. This will be achieved through high visibility, accessibility and surveillance.
The successful candidate will work collaboratively with other professional leads and managerial staff in the planning, development, provision and review of excellent, service user focused and cost effective integrated community pathways and ensure the interests of service users and carers are at the heart of all clinical decisions.
The Consultant Social Worker will support managers in taking appropriate action on issues of social care practice and national standards.
The post holder will provide strong professional leadership to social workers, including leadership of the ASYE programme for newly qualified social workers and representing HPFT within the Hertfordshire Social Work Teaching Partnership.
Ensure that the objectives of the social work strategy and key social care performance indicators are implemented.
Be a visible, accessible and authoritative presence across Trust services.
Work with the Senior Social Workers to ensure good standards of social work and social care practice.
Oversee and influence social work practice to ensure there are sufficient resources and opportunities to deliver person centred support, involving and engaging with service users and carers to support this.
Be responsible for the identification of training needs for social workers, and plan how these will be met, and evaluate the effectiveness for learners and impact on care.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Social Work Qualification
- Registration with Social Work England
- MSc in relevant subject or equivalent
- Leadership Development
- Relevant post-qualifying training for social workers
- Approved Mental Health Professional training and qualification
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience in a senior social work practice role within the community
- A strong sense of personal and team accountability, coupled with a clear understanding of boundaries and delegated authority
- Sound experience of developing systems that support safe, effective and high standards of care
- Dealing with a resolving conflict
- Experience of using quality improvement tools to improve care and delivery
- Proven track record of developing staff, setting, delivering and monitoring standards of social work/ social care practice.
- Experience of working in an integrated health and social care environment
Desirable
- Evidence of published work through books or journals
- Evidence of conducting research
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Social Work Qualification
- Registration with Social Work England
- MSc in relevant subject or equivalent
- Leadership Development
- Relevant post-qualifying training for social workers
- Approved Mental Health Professional training and qualification
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience in a senior social work practice role within the community
- A strong sense of personal and team accountability, coupled with a clear understanding of boundaries and delegated authority
- Sound experience of developing systems that support safe, effective and high standards of care
- Dealing with a resolving conflict
- Experience of using quality improvement tools to improve care and delivery
- Proven track record of developing staff, setting, delivering and monitoring standards of social work/ social care practice.
- Experience of working in an integrated health and social care environment
Desirable
- Evidence of published work through books or journals
- Evidence of conducting research
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.
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.
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).
