Job summary
BSL Version - https://youtu.be/bOSU0SAGjyk

The National Deaf Adult Services based at Springfield Hospital are looking for an experienced social worker. The role will be at Band 7 AfC , five days a week, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

It is desirable that applicants are either native BSL sign language users or have a fluency in British sign language or have a minimum of a BSL certified qualification at Level 3 in BSL together with a clear experience and understanding of deaf cultural issues and a background in working with or as part of a Team who has experience working with deaf clients and professionals.

You must have a registered qualification in social work and it would be desirable if you also had qualification or experiences in mental health social working.

Our service is a national tertiary/third tier service across the south of England . We liaise with a wide range of services within the secondary care, social and charitable sectors.

The Community Services role is collaborative and to educate, guide, signpost and support local services in the assessment and treatment options for deaf adults. We do not lead on care and the expectation is for the secondary care services to lead.

The Inpatient Services role is to assess and treat Deaf adults who present with severe mental illness which can be co-morbid with cognitive and neurological deficits, learning difficulties, emotional and behavioural dysregulation, language deprivation and associated traumas.

Main duties of the job

• Provide expert social care advice to colleagues within the inpatient and community services and with external services including CMHT secondary care, social services and external inpatient services
• Undertake initial assessments as required as part of the referral and assessment process for the Service
• To act as Duty manager on a rotational basis to manage incoming enquiries and referrals to the service including advice and signposting as required.
• Represent the Teams in relevant external forums
• Engage with external mental health services and social service providers to develop strong and supportive collaboration in facilitating the social care needs of the deaf client.
• To hold a small caseload and to act as an identified Heal Care Professional for this caseload
• To provide advice and guidance to local services around communication and the specific needs of the deaf client
• To engage in professional supervision with the Head of Social work, managerial supervision with the Community team manager and facilitate supervision of more junior social workers as required by the Head of Social work.

About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Unless expressly stated in the job advert the role is not subject to sponsorship, please be advised that all offers of employment are subject to evidence of right to work in the UK.

Date posted: 13 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £58,133 to £65,261 a year, pro rata per annum inclusive of inner London HCAS
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 294-FASP-8139682-EB
Job locations: Springfield University Hospital, 15 Springfield Drive, London, SW17 0YF, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

• To provide leadership for safeguarding issues and liaising with the clients relevant local safeguarding teams as necessary.
• To lead on the MCA 2005, the MHA 1983 and the Care Act 2014 as appropriate to client needs.
• To be involved in providing assessment, treatment, consultation and supervision. Detailed assessments of clients and providing support and advice on complex cases.
• Taking responsibility for the social care and social work elements of practice and innovations for the Deaf services.
• To liaise clearly and collaboratively with the services multi-disciplinary team and with external teams and providers as required.
• To join colleagues in assessment and planning meetings both for the inpatient services and community services.
• To lead on the development and presentation of reports for the inpatient and community services including social circumstances reporting for Tribunal and manager Hearings, safeguarding reports as required, social work reports in liaison with clients local responsible care team, Court reports as required, audits and evaluations of service need as necessary.
• A comprehensive working understanding of the mental health act and the mental capacity act and a clear ability to contribute to assessments and reports required under these acts
• To represent the clients and the Service in funding panel applications and reports.
• To provide an expert consultation to other services and external agencies including mental health, social services, educational services, housing, the police, and the criminal justice system, voluntary agencies and other statutory agencies as required.

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Demonstrable post qualification experience in a social work setting
• Experience of working within Adult Mental health services
• Experience of working within a multi disciplinary team working
• Experience of completing risk assessments and the management of risk
• Experience of adult and/or child safeguarding management

Desirable

• Experience supporting adults through mental health and social care services Working with people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and anti discriminatory/equal opportunity practice
• Experience at providing training, educational opportunities to service users and other professional groups Experience of deafness, working with deaf people
• Experience of deaf culture and its history, values and communities

Training & Qualifications
Essential

• A recognized social work qualification or equivalent - CQSW and Degree in social work or DIPSW
• Current registration on the SWE register
• Evidence of post qualification training and development in a relevant area of study including any posy qualification formal study such as Diploma or Masters
• British Sign Language (BSL) up to Level 2 or a willingness to achieve this within two years of employment.

Desirable

• Completion of post qualification award or diploma of advanced award in social work
• Practice Teaching/Mentoring qualification

Knowledge & Skills
Essential

• An understanding and utility of Mental Health Act 1983 Mental Capacity Act 2005 Care Act 2014
• Skills in risk assessment and management In-depth knowledge of safeguarding in both adult and child services
• Experience of working with CPA and discharge planning
• Awareness of Adult mental health policies and national guidelines in relation to Deaf people

Desirable

• Evidence of policy development
• Experiences working in group situations
• Experience working in interpreting situations and with BSL interpreters

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust
Address: Springfield University Hospital, 15 Springfield Drive, London, SW17 0YF, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.swlstg.nhs.uk/

For questions about the job, contact:
Team Manager Mike Tart, Michael.Tart@swlstg.nhs.uk, 02035134646