Job summary
The postholder will be an experienced social worker, registered with Social Work England and comprises of 10 sessions (full time). The postholder will assist with the co-ordination of the court process, in consultation with the service manager and help oversee the listings in the courts.
The post will bring social work expertise to the multidisciplinary assessment of families and parents referred to the service. This involves rapid initial and then ongoing assessment of parents, their willingness and capacity to engage in therapeutic work, alongside parenting capacity and of paramount importance, the safety of the children.
The post holder will contribute to the multidisciplinary formulation of an intervention plan and work with team members to mobilise and co-ordinate existing local authority, NHS and independent sector resources to meet the needs of the care plan and provide where appropriate evidence based nursing interventions in community based settings.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will take a lead on providing professional advice and development in relation to social work risk assessments within the FDAC team, develop clear pathways of care and support for families affected by parental substance misuse in order to promote and improve the wellbeing of parents, children and young people.
The post holder will be required to write regular reports to court of a high standard and to tight timescales and present reports in an authoritative manner in court on a regular basis, and other multidisciplinary and multi-agency settings work with autonomy but equally closely with FDAC colleagues. The post holder will be expected to contribute to and take part in of the evaluation of the service and also supervision of a social worker in the team.
About us
The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health trust with a focus on training and education alongside a full range of mental health services and psychological therapies for children and their families, young people and adults.
We are committed to improving mental health and emotional wellbeing, believing that high quality mental health services should be available for all who need them. We bring a distinctive contribution based on the importance we attach to social experience at all stages of people's lives, and our focus on psychological and developmental approaches to the promotion of health and the prevention and treatment of mental ill health
We contribute to the pool of ideas through our own research and development, but are also committed to bringing together the best ideas of the time, old and new, from inside and out, together with the most gifted and able professionals in our fields of endeavour. We aim to share our ideas and practice through as many routes as possible.
As a Trust we aim constantly to be evolving in nature and form in relation to the environment in which we work, to ensure that our contribution remains relevant.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please JD & PS document for further details.
Note: The role will likely be based at South London Family Court every Friday. There will be travel required across London.
Person Specification
Qualifications/Training/Education
Essential
- UK recognised qualification in social work
- Registered with Social Work England
- Substantial experience of working with young people and children and their families
- Wide experience of working with children and young people (including those aged 16 and above) and their families/carers
- Experience of working in the role of social worker with young children and families, including the ability to work autonomously
- Experience with Looked After Children or difficult, disturbed or challenging patient populations requiring skilled and complex interventions
- Experience of work in a multi-professional network and awareness of issues for such networks and teams
- Experience of the application of social work within a multi-cultural framework
- Experience of working with safeguarding issues and cases where children are subject to a child protection plan
Desirable
- Experience of working with children and families within a community multi-professional team
- Experience of facilitating case review, peer support or other group work with staff
- Experience of supervising others in the social work role
Skills & Knowledge
Essential
- An ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to convey highly complex and clinically sensitive information to family members of all ages, students and to a wide range of professional people within and outside the NHS
- An awareness of relevant legislation and its implications for clinical practice
- Substantial experience of writing reports for court and giving evidence in court
- Knowledge and understanding of issues relating to safeguarding children
- Knowledge of social work theory and practice
- IT literate, including use of email and word processing
Desirable
- An awareness of qualitative and quantitative research methodology and clinical audit
- Skills in providing consultation and support regarding social work issues including safeguarding concerns to other professionals
- Awareness of appropriate clinical governance mechanisms for the support and maintenance of high-quality clinical practice
Other Requirements
Essential
- Evidence of personal resilience and aptitude for dealing with potentially distressing and highly emotional clinical work
- Ability to be a constructive, collaborative and flexible team worker with an ability to work in different roles and contexts
- Ability to manage the team and supervise others in a professional and constructive manner and develop team functioning in the delivery of service specifications
- Ability to demonstrate commitment to own personal development
- Ability to multi task and set goals for completion
- Keenness to continue to develop therapeutic skills alongside core social work skills
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website .
Employer details
Employer name
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
Address
FDAC London
33a Daleham Gardens,
London,
NW3 5BU