Mental Health Social Worker - Recovery North Team

How you'll make a difference

As a Social Worker (Care co-ordinator) in an integrated Mental Health Team, you will provide appropriate and effective interventions to people with severe mental health needs and those in their networks. You will enable and assist them to meet daily health, social care and well-being needs, in line with personal recovery goals.

This role sits within our Recovery North Team, who are a large, dynamic and friendly team consisting of mental health nurses, social workers, occupational therapists and recovery navigators. We would really welcome you contacting the team manager to discuss the role and potentially arrange a visit to the team.

Salaries are offered at points within these bands depending on experience:

Social Worker: GBP33,945 - GBP36,648
Advanced Social Worker : GBP38,223 - GBP41,418

To be considered for Advanced Social Worker evidence must be clearly detailed in your application.

What will you be doing?

Reporting to the Team Manager within Avon and Wiltshire Partnership (AWP) Trust, you will assess, plan and where appropriate provide and evaluate services to people who have, or are the carers of individuals who have, serious mental health needs.
The primary purpose of the role is to manage the S117 review caseload, which will involve the reviewing of care plans within the Care Act Assessment framework. You will ensure the care plans are appropriate and proportionate to meet the service user's needs, are strength based, individualised, and promoting the agency and independence of the service user.
Day to day, you will work with other agencies and services within an integrated Health and Social Care model, always under the overarching framework of the Care Programme Approach. When your responsibilities for reviewing care packages allows, you will act as care co-ordinator for service users, ensuring the co-ordination and implementation of support which promotes independence.
In the near future, the role of care coordinator will change in accordance with the new Mental Health Community Framework and you will have a pivotal role in shaping this.
Part of the role may require you to prepare social circumstances reports for the Mental Health Review tribunal and attend tribunal hearings. You will be required to keep other relevant records and client record systems up to date.
We would ordinarily expect that you will undertake Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training, including any pre AMHP training requirement, within a reasonable timeframe of employment. On qualification, you will convert to the AMHP role profile and grade and be expected to participate on the AMHP rota.

As an Advanced Social Worker you will be required to:

support students on placement as an experience Practice Educator
be fully up to date with the core training expectations as an Advanced Social Worker
use examples of research and evidence-based resources to enhance practice and share learning with team (e.g. use of Research in Practice / other online resources).
What we need from you
We require you to have a degree in Social Work with relevant registration to practice and current relevant registration with Social Work England and commitment to CPD.

It is essential that you have demonstrable post-qualification experience, ideally working in mental health services. You should have an understanding of the relevant legal frameworks/legislation including CPA process, Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, and Safeguarding.

You must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the Recovery principles, and the role of secondary mental health services in the delivery of care, with experience of undertaking carers' assessments, assessing risk and developing risk management strategies.

You will be able to engage effectively with people at all levels, even when a more assertive approach is needed to include highly developed active listening skills, which allow for reframing and testing of understanding

You may have relevant post-registration qualifications, such as BIA, CBT, AMHP, Brief Interventions. It is ordinarily expected that you will undertake Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training, including any pre AMHP training requirement, within a reasonable timeframe of employment. On qualification, you will convert to the AMHP role profile and grade and be expected to participate on the AMHP rota.

Advanced Social Worker:

We will require you to have a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience.
You will have evidence of meeting the essential (and desirable where possible) criteria for the role of Advanced Social Worker or in South Gloucestershire council.
A clear commitment to Continuous Professional Development (CPD). Your CPD

You will be expected to travel throughout the authority and surrounding area so must have a full valid driving licence with regular access to a vehicle or have alternative appropriate means of travel.

Please note that due to the nature of this role it is a requirement of employment that an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is obtained for this post.
How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different
We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long-term difference in work.
What's special here is the strength of the team ethos. We are a relatively small local authority, so managers know staff well. They can plan their services to ensure teams have manageable caseloads and have effective supervision so feel supported to make decisions which are right for the people you are working with.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the safety and welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Ensuring all our staff are given right skills, knowledge and support to recognise and respond effectively to potential abuse or neglect.

As part of our benefits package you will receive generous annual leave (pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities

We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.
We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of
We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life
We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.
We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We're making a difference, be part of it!

For further information please contact Charlotte Tayor, Recovery Team Manager ( or ) or Liam McCann, Team Manager, Mental Health - AMHP ( or )