Social Worker
The closing date is 22 December 2025
Are you looking for something a bit different, a new challenge, a varied role?
Wathwood is an award‑winning Forensic Mental Health Hospital and prides itself on providing the highest quality of care, in a secure setting to our patients.
We have exciting opportunities here at Wathwood in our unique Medium Secure setting. Whether you are newly qualified and looking to take your first step on your career ladder, or fancy a new challenge, we have something to suit everyone.
We are seeking to recruit a Band 6 Social Worker to join our fantastic multi‑disciplinary teams within the hospital to provide assessment, risk management, care and treatment to aid recovery and further the patient journey.
Interviews for this vacancy will be held on the 13 January 2026.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, compassionate, experienced and highly motivated skilled professional social worker to join our teams, in a challenging but rewarding role, to make a difference to the lives of our patients.
Main duties of the job
Therefore, applicants will need to:
* Have excellent interpersonal skills
* The ability to work effectively as part of a multi‑disciplinary team
* Be committed to providing the highest standards of care
* Promote and maintain high standards of care through excellent communication, motivation, supervision and role modelling
We want to help our staff reach their full potential and are committed to providing the support, skills and development needed to success. This includes a supportive and strong health and well‑being team.
Reporting to the Social Work Manager, and working closely within consultant led multi‑disciplinary teams, the post‑holder will work within a small team providing high quality social work support to patients detained in a secure healthcare setting.
As social worker for a defined caseload, you will contribute to initial assessments, risk assessments and care planning. You will be working with a range of internal and external services to identify and manage areas of risk and ensure through‑care support is available. You will directly support both patients and their families.
You will take a lead role for safeguarding adults within our service and also for safeguarding children who come into contact with our service. You will provide social work reports to Mental Health Tribunals and to Care Programme Approach meetings on a regular basis.
Job responsibilities
* Carry a caseload of patients and present essential reports in a timely fashion and to a high standard.
* Attend all relevant clinical meetings including MRTs, CPAs, Ward Rounds, 117 meetings, MAPPPs, Manager Reviews etc.
* Work within the legislative framework and adhere to all Trust and Directorate Policies and Procedures.
* Engage and liaise effectively with patients, families/carers and external agencies.
* Lead on Child and Adult Safeguarding in the MDT.
* Oversee the Child Visiting Procedure and ensure supervision and contact visits between patients and children are conducted in accordance with Directorate/National procedures.
* Ensure that all necessary clinical (patient) and environmental (Health & Safety) risk assessments are carried out and management plans developed in liaison with the Social Work Team Manager where necessary.
* Adhere to all Social Work and MSU Standards.
* Provide a Social Work service to a defined patient caseload.
* Participate in regular managerial supervision with the Team Manager.
* Engage in clinical supervision as requested.
* Undertake other Social Work tasks as required by Team Manager.
* Applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced); this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first two months of employment.
* Applicants are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.
Person Specification
Physical Characteristics
* Ability to travel to and from work in wide geographical locations
* Ability to undertake all essential training
Further training
* Awareness of professional boundaries and able to positively role model appropriate behaviour
* Detailed knowledge of current Social Work practice
* Detailed knowledge of all standards relevant to Social Work
* Good understanding of Clinical Governance
* Post Qualifying Training
* Safeguarding Training
* Multi‑Agency working
Work Experience
* Extensive knowledge of the Mental Health Act and Code of Practice, Criminal Justice Legislation, Community Care Legislation and CPA, Risk Assessment and management methods
* Experience of carrying a caseload of Forensic/Mental Health Patients
* Other experience in Social Care, Probation or Voluntary Sector Work in a secure setting
* Effective Communication at all levels
* Risk Assessment and Management skills
* Effective organisation and prioritisation
* Writing focused analytical reports to deadlines
* Multi‑disciplinary teamwork
* Ability to work with extreme histories of abuse or other behaviour
* Ability to effectively present information
Contractual requirements
* Willingness to work flexibly to meet the needs of the Organisation
Qualifications – Academic/Professional
* Professional qualifications in Social Work at Diploma level (e.g. Dip, DipSW, CQSW)
Dispositional Attributes
* Empathy
* Ability to work with conflict
* Effective working under pressure
* Negotiation
* Working with some autonomy
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.
Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
£38,682 to £46,580 a year (pro rata for part time)
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