Social Worker

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and enthusiastic social worker to join our Rehabilitation and Recovery Services.

The service line covers the Leeds-based rehabilitation services and the Assertive Outreach team. This includes:

- Ward 5, Newsam Centre - Complex Rehabilitation – 17 bedded male locked ward.
- Open Rehab (R&R, Asket Croft, Asket House and Recovery Centre)
- Assertive Outreach Team

The post holder will work with people with severe and enduring mental health difficulties, who have complex psychosis presentations with frequent comorbid substance use and experience of trauma and who can suffer from deep mistrust of services, lack of motivation and chronic impoverishment in their lives. The needs of this population are typically not able to be met in mainstream MH services so that without more intensive help available to them, they can easily become “revolving door patients” in acute inpatient setting, fall through the net altogether, and/or be placed in Out of Area placements. Rehabilitation and Assertive Outreach services can provide an alternative to this.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be expected to participate in multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working, being aware of colleagues' caseloads and providing support to others as necessary and contribute to the on-going development of complex rehabilitation.

Work in partnership with Service Users, Ward Staff, and partner agencies (e.g. housing, Benefits, Social Services etc.) to facilitate benefit claims and other financial and housing support.

Ensure the service user and their families are central to and fully involved in the plan of care and have copies of care plans.

Ensure effective communication and collaboration with others through attendance at, and chairing of review meetings, team meetings, ward rounds, clinical meetings and meetings held by partner agencies.

Support Carers Champions to support them to support Carers.

Support with liaising with Local Authority to complete Care Act Assessments.

Maintain links with carers and ensure that Nearest Relatives are informed of their rights under the Mental Health Act, 1983

Support Carers to access Carers Assessments, supporting carers to make contact with Local Authorities.

Complete Statutory Social Circumstances reports for mental health tribunals and/or hospital manager’s hearings. To complete other reports as required.

Working for our organisation

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme (LYPFT pays 20.6% into your scheme each year), coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more organisations such as Blue Light Card, Health Service Discounts and NHS Discount Offers.

We also have an incredible bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank. Bank-only workers can choose the hours they want to work and will have the opportunity to gain additional experience, keep skills up to date, develop new ones and earn extra money without having to commit to a permanent role. For an informal discussion or more information please contact the team bankstaffingdepartment.lypft@nhs.net

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Postholder will work in accordance to current Social Work policies, research, models and theories as well as the Social Work standards. They will be able to recognize own limitations, demonstrating ability to practice within ethical and legal frameworks with clear understanding of service users, and their families' needs and rights.

Having the ability to support, supervise and contribute to the professional development of members of staff working in rehabilitation and recovery services participating in the mentorship, education and supervision of students from a range of disciplines.

Working as a member of a multi-disciplinary team offering specialist rehabilitation this post provides an innovative professional social work service to in-patient service users within Complex Rehabilitation Services. The post holder will work with members of the wider Rehabilitation & Recovery Services, community services (CREST/AOT/CMHT), other supporting stakeholders, community providers and service users to identify suitable placements for supporting transition to community-based services. Working in partnership with service users and other agencies managing and co-ordinating complex discharge plans, promoting a model of social inclusion within the MDT and wider ward team.

The post holder will act as Safeguarding lead/link for the ward.

Provide person led financial assessments supporting service users to access required support.

Work with MDT to support Service User access to vocational opportunities.

Demonstrate an understanding of diversity and gender issues and how these relate to service provision.

Be able to demonstrate knowledge of safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and how to manage this within a specialist mental health setting.

Provide comprehensive assessments to service users and their families promoting engagement and inclusion.

Participate in MDT risk assessments which promote services user and carer involvement.

Participate in multi-agency public protection arrangements - MAPPA.

Liaise with service users, their families', other disciplines and agencies using critical decision-making skills in care planning, provision and evaluation.

Participate in the planning and support service users transition to community-based services and/or transfer to alternative in-patient provision.

Provide specialist Social Work advice, information, and support to services outside of the in-patient unit as required.

Embrace health promotion initiatives and encourage a positive attitude to mental health and safeguarding.

Awareness of and adherence to all professional and Trust Policies including the reporting of incidents and accidents, complaints procedures and the management of confidential information.

Link in with the Social Work lead and Social Work pathway within the Trust.

Support with Social Work and other student placements.

Ensure that the needs of service users children are understood, supporting staff to make referrals to social care where required.

Maintain comprehensive and up to date written records of assessments, care plans, evaluations, and on-going process notes in line with Trust Policy and to share these with the MDT and external agencies as appropriate.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

- Professional Registration as a Social Worker with Social Work England
- Practice Educator Qualification or work towards

Experience
Essential criteria

- 3. Experience of complex case management, multi-agency working, and risk management.

Knowledge
Essential criteria

- Able to demonstrate knowledge of safeguarding vulnerable adults and how to manage this in a specialist mental health setting.

Applications are welcomed from candidates who wish to apply for a position on the basis of a smarter (Hybrid) or flexible working arrangement – please contact the Recruitment Team if you have any queries regarding this in terms of your initial application.

Where candidates are successful at interview, flexible working arrangement requests will be taken into consideration and may be accommodated where the needs of the service allow.

Please note that from 1st July 2018, all new employees are required to subscribe to the DBS Update Service, DBS checks for volunteers remain free of charge.

LYPFT is committed to upholding its’ statutory responsibilities in relation to safeguarding adults and children. Please refer to job description for further information.

LYPFT is a member of the Disability Confident scheme and is committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

As part of the Trust's commitment to its Gold Standard Armed Forces Covenant status, members of the Armed Forces Community are entitled to a guaranteed interview subject to meeting the role criteria.

We welcome applicants with lived experience of providing unpaid care and/or support to a family member or friend with a disability, health condition, frailty, mental health problem, addiction or other health needs.
Please note that the Trust reserves the right to close the vacancy before the closing date if a sufficient number of applications are received. It is in the candidates best interest to apply as soon as possible.

In view of Home Office Immigration Regulations all applicants must state their current immigration status, including expiry dates.

In submitting an application form, you authorise Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed to the post.

In submitting an application for a role please ensure that you only declare qualifications that are relevant to the role itself. We reserve the right to check all declared qualifications on an application form, whether they are directly relevant to the role or not.

If you have not received any further communication from us within four weeks you are asked to assume that your application has been unsuccessful. If you should have any queries regarding progress with your application form please contact us.

Please note: The Trust does not offer reimbursement of interview expenses.