Job summary
We have a vacancy for an Senior Social Worker to join the Adult Community Mental Health Service (ACMHS) in North West Hertfordshire.

Are you interested in working with an outstanding Trust to develop and deliver community treatment in mental health?

We welcome diversity in our workforce and encourage applicants from people of all ages and backgrounds, such as those with lived experience of mental health difficulties.

This role covers two mental health teams; Dacorum and St. Albans.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will:

• oversee and co-ordinate responses to safeguarding concerns raised working closely with members of the leadership teams
• identify safeguarding plans to mitigate risk to the person
• make decisions where situations are complex
• use a person centered approach to develop personalised solutions for adults at risk of abuse, and their families
• have experience of undertaking Safeguarding Adults enquiries in Hertfordshire
• have a good working knowledge of social care and safeguarding duties under the Care Act 2014.

About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.

The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Our Trust values are:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!

Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?

Job responsibilities
For a more extensive Job Description please read documents attached

Act as the lead manager in safeguarding concerns / enquiries including assessment and management of risk, knowing how to intervene proportionately and ensuring people are protected from harm, while protecting their human rights.

Act as the lead professional when an adult is at risk of social exclusion and assist people to deal with adverse circumstance such as poor health, poverty, inadequate living conditions; as well as maximising the strength of individuals, their families and their communities.

Act as the lead professional where a person is severely constrained by social or family circumstance and provides support to achieve a reasonable degree to independence and autonomy.

Act as the lead professional when a persons health or capacity is deteriorating or likely to deteriorate (without intervention) and the alternative may be premature admission to institutional forms of care or a legal intervention by the state.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Knowledge
Essential

• Registered mental health professional appropriate to the job role (nursing, OT, SW)
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Desirable

• Completion of mentorship /preceptorship Course/ENB equivalent, or intention to complete
• Approved Mental Health Practitioner
• Practice Educator Qualification
• Best Interest Assessor practitioner

Relevant Experience
Essential

• Works with vulnerable adults and or children within a health and social care setting
• Involvement in multi-agency work
• Experience of student supervision
• Applied use of Social Care & Health Care legislation
• Safeguarding processes and investigations

Desirable

• Applied use of at least one of the following of Mental capacity Act; Mental Health Act; care Management; Continuing Health Care, Care Programme Approach
• Experience of Staff supervision & development planning

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Exceptional communication & interpersonal skills with individuals, families, groups, staff
• Strong IT skills; reporting, recording, written
• Ability to assess and record eligible and non-eligible needs, drawing on evidence based practice to inform your response
• Acts in a self-directed, proactive way to identify / develop opportunities ideas & innovation
• Keeps calm and focussed under pressurised and challenging circumstances

Desirable

• Mentors, coaches, supports and supervises other social work staff to be accountable, proactive, innovative, autonomous and to enhance performance
• Analytically interprets research, audits, case law and present to colleagues in an accessible way to inform practice
• Actively and creatively develops team members' capabilities in line with service objectives and professional standards

Knowledge/Applied understanding
Essential

• Adult Social care and legislation, strategies and guidance relevant to the post
• Safeguarding statutory responsibilities, including Making Safeguarding Personal
• Risk management and positive risk taking
• Human rights legislation and how these laws protect the rights of adults
• Working as part of a multi-disciplinary /multi-agency team
• The personalisation agenda and applying creative problem solving to maximise independence

Desirable

• Working within a scheme of delegated authority

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.