Social Worker -- Adults Mental Health

Location West Sussex
Salary £29.00 - £32.10 per hour
Discipline
Directorate Group: Mental Health, Adults Services
Location: County Wide – various locations at main hubs

In this challenging, but rewarding role, you will be required to act as allocated social worker responsible for delivering a statutory social work service to those people who access or need specialist mental health services, to include assessment, planning, implementing and review, this includes being responsible for leading on specialist areas of service delivery (for example peri-natal, early intervention, transitions and homelessness), ensuring that key developments are communicated to colleagues and that business change is successfully implemented.
You will work as part of a geographically based specialist mental health social work team, providing a service to people who are aged 18-65, with occasional contact with young people in transition, who are under 18.
You will work effectively in partnership with other staff, teams and agencies, both internal to the Council and external, including Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
What you’ll need to succeed
You will be passionate about delivering high quality social work services and will have experience of, or an interest in, working with people with a wide range of mental illness.
A desire to support people to improve their lives, by ensuring that they have opportunities to manage their mental health and engage with community activities.
To be qualified for this role you will possess the ability to influence in a multi-disciplinary setting and communicate clearly and effectively to explain complicated information to a wide range of people, negotiate and persuade others to adopt a particular course of action that they may not otherwise wish to take.
You will demonstrate a good theoretical, practical and procedural knowledge of social work concepts, and evidence of dealing with varied and complex issues and cases. You will have a good understanding of the necessity of working with partnership agencies including health, housing, education and statutory, voluntary and independent agencies. You will undertake continued professional development and maintain records of your training in line with Social Work England requirements.
There will also be a requirement for you to work flexibly to support customers, carers and families, sometimes out of normal office hours. You will be required to travel county wide, including to locations that are not always easily accessible by public transport.
Required experience and skills
(These will be used as the shortlisting criteria)
Key Skills:
1. Ability to analyse and interpret people-related information and data in order to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision.
2. Ability to work proactively as a member of the team to make an accurate assessment of needs and negotiate and implement effective plans and outcomes, ensuring regular reviews and risk management with a variety of individuals, carers or families. Evidence of effectively prioritising work and meeting deadlines.
3. Ability to undertake direct work with those who access or need the service in order to support individuals.
4. Ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, and to seek appropriate support, advice and supervision.
5. Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in both written and oral format including the ability to explain complicated information to a wide range of people and negotiate and persuade others to adopt a particular course of action.
6. Sound and accurate IT and keyboard skills
Qualifications and/or experience:
• Degree in relevant professional or equivalent qualification e.g. Certificate of Qualification in Social Work or Diploma in Social Work. Essential
• Registration with the relevant professional registration body and responsibility for maintaining registration with that body. Essential
• Approved Mental Health Professional (it is a requirement to have AMHP qualification or to be working towards the qualification to be complete within 2 years of appointment and to maintain level of knowledge). Essential
• Experience of working with service users with severe and enduring mental health problems in the community.
• Knowledge of theoretical social work concepts and practices, with demonstrable examples of dealing with a breadth of complex issues and situations as well as theoretical, practical and procedural knowledge of social work and working knowledge of legislation relevant to the specialist area of the post e.g. Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act.
• Experience of effective partnership working and forming effective working relationships with individuals and colleagues, identifying issues, focusing on needs and handling conflict and disagreement. Good understanding of the necessity of working with partnership agencies including health, housing, learning, statutory, voluntary and independent sector.
• Experience of managing levels of risk within a varied caseload of complex cases.
• Experience of effectively coaching and supervising others, acting as a practice role model and promoting exemplary practice.
• Experience of managing levels of risk within a caseload of complex safeguarding cases.
• Practice Teachers Award. Desirable
• Full, valid driving licence - Desirable
Please note we require 3 SWs to fulfil this order, for 3 months initially (possible extension after 3 months). The SWs will require double vaccination against COVID-19, as they will enter care homes. The working arrangement will be at least 2 days in the Bognor office, and visits are also required. Please do not submit anyone who cannot work to this requirement.