Social Worker

Our team is based in Cheshunt and provides services to the locality of East & South East Hertfordshire. The service operates Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm., As a Social Worker, you will work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, providing high quality social care services to adults of all ages experiencing mental ill-health. The core functions of the role will be to provide assessment, care planning and coordination of care from a social perspective to adults accessing the service. You will delivery 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. You will act as a champion of social care and safeguarding in your locality., To be a champion of social care with a comprehensive understanding of legislation and statutory guidance.

To take a lead in the promotion of adult safeguarding practice and undertake safeguarding enquires and contribute to the provision of care plans that protect both adults and children from abuse.

To 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, ensuring people are assessed appropriately against social care eligibility criteria as defined by The Care Act 2014.

To offer direct support to service users and their carers, and to colleagues, through information and advice, to ensure that those who do not meet social care eligibility are appropriately signposted and supported.

To ensure that appropriate health and social care services are commissioned with and on behalf of service users, including the duty to offer direct payments, and that processes are in place for service users to be charged by the local authority for the social care services they receive, if applicable.

To ensure that commissioned services allow choice to service users and carers and focus on people living in the community with appropriate support and access to universal services.

To undertake regular risk assessments and ensure that vulnerable people are kept safe., To undertake carer assessments, including identifying contingency plans, and provision of support.

To be skilled in partnership working and identify, develop, and facilitate a wide range of recovery-focused community services, ensuring that colleagues within the locality are also aware of developments and best practice.

To ensure the involvement of service users and their carers to that the Trust can learn from their experiences to make improvements to service delivery.

To ensure accurate computer records of all work undertaken are kept up to date.

To undertake your own post qualifying and other appropriate training to ensure high standards of practice and continuation of your registration with Social Work England.

To provide both management and reflective supervision to newly qualified social workers and unregistered social care staff.

To support newly qualified social workers through the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment (ASYE), with opportunities to train as an ASYE assessor.

To undertake duties as an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) or be willing to undertake AMHP training.

To participate in your own regular supervision and ensure regular reflection on your own practice as both a social worker and AMHP.

To undertake other tasks and duties which form part of the delegated social care responsibilities accepted by the Trust on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.

• An appropriate professional social work qualification


• Education to degree level


• Registration with Social Work England


• Training in principles and application of outcomes focussed assessments and personalization


• Relevant post-qualifying training for social workers


• Training and experience in Safeguarding


Desirable criteria


• Approved Mental Health Professional/Best Interests Assessment Training, Some post qualification experience


• Knowledge of legislation, theory and policy in relation to relevant care group


• Experience of undertaking assessments, focussed as personalisation, choice and control, and care planning


• Understanding and experience of personal budgets and direct payments


• Experience of multidisciplinary working and ability to work collaboratively


• Experience of partnership working with service users and carers, demonstrating dignity and respect


Desirable criteria


• Experience of work as Approved Mental Health Professional and/or Best Interests Assessor, Excellent ability to communication with a wide range of stakeholders including service users and carers, other professional colleagues, members of other organisations and local communities, verbally and in writing


• Ability to manage highly sensitive information


• Experience of using electronic recording 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, You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (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, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.


We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission

Our family of over 3500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, 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, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were "blown away" by our people's achievements and that everything they saw "sings and hums". This year, our staff rated us the 4^th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional