Perinatal Social Worker
The closing date is 20 May 2026
Brent and Harrow Community Perinatal Mental Health Team, based at Northwick Park Hospital, is recruiting a Band 7, Permanent post. We are looking for one passionate Perinatal Social Workers who are looking to make a difference while working in an environment that promotes staff development and training opportunities. CNWL is passionate about developing its own staff, driving them to go on to become more established practitioners and this post is no different.
Main duties of the job
To be you and do what you do best in the job you love!
We are looking for a clinician with a special interest in improving care for women, birthing people and their families. Experience of working in the perinatal mental health field is not necessary but a keen interest in this specialist area is essential.
About us
We are committed to offering you an environment to flourish which includes dedicated development opportunities as well as a healthier work life balance. We will offer you:
* Commitment from the team to develop you by offering in‑house perinatal training in the form of masterclasses led by members of the perinatal service and associated integral agencies.
* Free access to our Staff and Wellbeing service to ensure that you are always looking after yourself.
* Commitment to career mapping to ensure continuous professional development including opportunities within the Trust.
* On‑site shadowing opportunities including Maternity Services, Mother and baby Unit, Home Treatment Team, Psych Liaison and many more.
* An opportunity to work with a friendly, dynamic, passionate and diverse team who are committed to looking after each other as well as their service users.
Excellent staff benefits: our benefit packages are amongst the best in London and include:
* Childcare vouchers
* Health and wellbeing services
* Season ticket loans
* Cycle to work scheme
* Blue light card
* Discounts at Nando's and Superdrug
* Mobile phone contracts
* And much more!
Award‑winning Staff Networks.
Hidden Gem & annual award ceremonies.
Job responsibilities
* To deliver, or support the delivery of, highly specialist evidence‑based mental health assessment, care planning, treatment and review for women in the perinatal period.
* To provide specialist consultation, advice and support to both CNWL, local Maternity Hospital in‑patient and community services on best practice when working with women with mental health needs at preconception, pregnant women and women with infants up to one year old.
* To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex and challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old.
* To work in consultation with other professionals making known concerns regarding safeguarding children and/or adults to the appropriate and responsible service. This includes attending Child Protection and Review Conferences as appropriate where the child is at risk because of the mother’s mental illness.
* To work with colleagues to establish a clear process and criteria for receiving referrals to undertake direct work or information for advice and liaison work.
* To assist in setting up structures that allow the dissemination of knowledge and skills regarding working with perinatal women in both in‑patient and community services.
* To liaise and work with specialist tertiary services such as Mother & Baby Units, personality disorder services, eating disorder services etc.
* To work with fathers, partners and significant others to provide appropriate education training and support.
* To identify carers and refer/sign post for assessment as appropriate.
* To work as a member of the multi‑disciplinary team exercising autonomous professional responsibility for managing a clinical caseload independently, providing highly specialist assessments and follow‑up for women referred with complex problems, which includes assessment of risk in terms of self‑harm, self‑neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic violence and safeguarding children.
* To seek consultation where necessary with clinical supervisor and/or line manager on clinical work and participate in regular supervision.
* To be mindful of the needs of women and their families from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious and social backgrounds and to develop, with colleagues, sensitive and innovative ways of meeting these needs.
* To ensure that all Trust Perinatal service users have a perinatal care plan, which is implemented. This may require attending and contributing to pre and post‑birth meetings.
* To work with other professionals in supporting them to implement an agreed parent infant care plan.
* To attend the CNWL and out of borough Safeguarding Children multidisciplinary meetings and any other relevant multidisciplinary meetings within Maternity services, as appropriate.
* To be responsible for monitoring, recording and reporting on clinical work and communicating highly complex clinical information to a variety of recipients (e.g. patients, families and carers, other professionals) orally and in writing.
* To be responsible for developing and maintaining knowledge of local resources and developing excellent working relationships with relevant statutory, voluntary and community groups and organisations.
Person Specification
Education & Qualification
* Registered Social work qualification and evidence of current registration on Social Work England register.
* Evidence of continuing professional development.
* Educated to degree level or equivalent.
* Dual qualified as AMHP or Best interest assessor or Practice educator.
* Recent experience a perinatal mental health practice and/or safeguarding children and Adult practice.
* Qualifications / training in specialist skills e.g., Family therapy/interventions/ psychological interventions.
Experience
* Professional knowledge acquired through degree/diploma.
* Substantial years post‑qualification experience working with women with serious mental illness in a secondary mental health setting either community or inpatient.
* Experience of managing a caseload of service users with evidence of completing high quality assessments.
* Experience of working in a complex multi‑disciplinary / multi‑agency context.
* Experience of formal child protection processes and inter‑agency work with families.
* Experience of formal Adult Safeguarding processes and inter‑agency work with families.
* Experience of undertaking complex social needs, mental state, risk and needs assessments.
* Experience of working in a multi‑racial/cultural community and of working with interpreters.
* Experience of multi‑agency pre‑birth planning (CPA) for women with serious mental illness.
* Evidence of networking within the Perinatal Psychiatry Specialty.
* Experience of working in obstetrics and gynaecology.
* Experience of planning and delivery of training in response to identified needs.
* Experience of contributing to policies and procedures.
* Experience of supervising mental health / non‑mental health professionals.
Skills and Abilities
* Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options.
* Team/self‑management and organisational skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service.
* Ability to contribute to and facilitate effective multi‑disciplinary/multi‑agency working.
* Ability to develop and deliver training on perinatal mental health and associated issues such as safeguarding children, domestic violence.
* Computer literate to an intermediate/ advanced level.
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.
Address
Mental Health Unit, Northwick Park Hospital
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
#J-18808-Ljbffr