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Social Worker
The closing date is 05 November 2025
All Social Workers must be registered with Social Work England.
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 interventions (which may require co-ordination of care) from a social perspective to adults accessing the service. You will deliver 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.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will assess needs and outcomes and analyse a wide range of information in relation to service users and carers. They will ensure that complex information is analysed, and recommendations made, for which there is professional accountability. They will involve service users and carers to enable us to learn from their experiences. The postholder may be asked to undertake surveys and audits within their locality and contribute to trust wide surveys when required.
The post holder will hold a key role in providing social care assessments and commissioned packages of care, and will ensure that your practice ensures the service is meeting its statutory social care functions as described in the Care Act 2014.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission.
Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex 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:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
Job responsibilities
The postholder will work as part of the multi-disciplinary team. They will need to work in partnership with service users and carers and a wide range of stakeholders within and outside of the Trust. They will demonstrate principles of dignity and respect, focusing on personalisation, choice, and control. They will be a champion and expert in the field of social care and safeguarding and will be responsible for ensuring that colleagues within the service provide high quality social care services.
Duties and Responsibilities
* To assess needs and outcomes and analyse a wide range of information in relation to service users and carers. They will ensure that complex information is analysed, and recommendations made, for which there is professional accountability.
* To involve service users and carers to enable us to learn from their experiences.
* To undertake surveys and audits within their locality and contribute to trust wide surveys when required.
* 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 enquiries 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 contribute to core tasks within EPMHS including Dialog+ First Conversations.
* 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 so 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.
* To adhere to Trust policies and procedures.
* To undertake additional training as required.
* To carry out any other duties as appropriately identified by your line manager.
Please see attached job description and person specification for further details
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION/TRAINING
* An appropriate professional social work qualification
* Registration with Social Work England
* Training in principles and application of outcomes focussed assessments and personalisation
* Relevant post-qualifying training for social workers
* Approved Mental Health Professional/Best Interests Assessment Training
* Training and experience in safeguarding
KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
* Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience
* Knowledge of legislation, theory and policy in relation to relevant care group
* Experience of undertaking assessments, focused on 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
* Experience of work as Approved Mental Health Professional and/or Best Interests Assessor
* Experience of working in an integrated health and social care environment
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.
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Adult Community Mental Health Services (ACMHS) South West Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
£40,617 to £48,778 a year Per annum, Pro rata (5% HCAS Included)
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
367-ACMS-9832
Job locations
Adult Community Mental Health Services (ACMHS) South West Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
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