Lead Practitioner

The Role

Sefton Adult Social Care are looking to recruit a Lead Practitioner to the Mental Health North Social Work Team based at Hartley Hospital in Southport, to support the delivery of the Adult Community Mental Health Services in the North of the borough.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Social Worker with a background in Mental Health to develop their Social Work practice and operational management skills in a busy multidisciplinary team, working with a diverse and complex service user group.

The Mental Health Team North is co-located on the same site as health colleagues employed by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in the North Sefton Community Mental Health Team (CMHT), working closely with a range of different professionals including Community Psychiatric Nurses, Consultant Psychiatrists, Occupational Therapists and Clinical Psychologists.

The Mental Health Team North is responsible for undertaking community and hospital-based casework for individuals with severe and enduring mental health problems, who are currently under the care of secondary mental health services, or detained/admitted to psychiatric hospital wards across the Local and Mid-Mersey Divisions.

The successful post holder will be highly experienced in undertaking a range of statutory interventions, including social care needs assessments under the Care Act 2014, Section 42 Safeguarding Enquiries, and excellent working knowledge of both the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007). Other relevant experience will include comprehensive knowledge of patient flow processes around hospital discharge planning, first hand experience of Court work, including COPDOL11 and Welfare Order Applications, and relevant experience working with service users in hospital and in the community on Forensic Sections, including Section 37/41 of the Mental Health Act, requiring Ministry of Justice oversight.

The successful post holder will be responsible for supporting the Social Work Team Manager in the delivery of statutory Adult Services to an excellent standard, and to ensure that all interventions under the Care Act 2014 are “strengths-based” in approach, and compatible with the national Adult Social Care CQC inspection framework.

The successful post holder will be expected to carry a small caseload of complex mental health cases, and to support the Social Work Team Manager with the operational management of the team, including but not limited to, attending multi-agency Professionals Meetings, chairing Safeguarding Strategy Meetings, overseeing and supporting the development of community assets under the Recovery Team model, and supporting ongoing staff development through mentoring, coaching and Supervision.

The successful applicant will ideally hold a PG Cert in Approved Mental Health Professional Practice (AMHP) and Best Interest Assessor (BIA) qualifications; or commit to undertaking the relevant training upon commencement of their post.

The successful applicant will be required to support the Sefton AMHP Service, including working on a duty AMHP rota in addition to their community-based responsibilities. Practice Educator qualification is also desirable.

For further information, please contact Ross Campbell (Social Work Team Manager) on 07772 192848.

Who are we?

Sefton is a diverse and exciting local authority that is on a journey of aspiration and ambition as it works towards delivering its exciting Sefton 2030 Vision. This journey is shared with our partners and communities as we strive to ensure Sefton is a confident and connected Borough.

Sefton as a Place to Live and Work

Boasting 22 miles of stunning coastline, Sefton is a leading coastal tourist destination with a flourishing visitor economy. Spanning the busy Port of Liverpool, the famous Antony Gormley’s ‘Another Place’ installation, attractive beaches and dunes, to the resort town of Southport, the diversity of the Borough provides a unique mix of urban and natural setting.

This is a diverse and exciting Borough where people can enjoy a great work-life balance. With excellent transport links, Sefton is well placed for accessing cities across the Northwest, including Liverpool, Manchester and areas such as the Wirral, Halton and Knowsley.

This is an exciting time to come and work with us. We want to hear from people who possess drive and passion. We need committed Social Workers to support our development, improvement plans and outcomes for vulnerable adults in our community.

Our Vision and Journey so far….

Sefton Adult Social Care have high aspirations for the service to work with our most vulnerable residents to complete excellent person-centred and high-quality assessments, the outcomes of which will positively impact on well-being and support people to live healthier lives. We are in the process of expanding our early intervention and prevention offer to our residents, using innovative approaches and the latest technological solutions. Sefton Adult Social Care have an ethos of coproducing and codesigning services with our residents and stakeholders to ensure they meet the needs of our service users whilst ensuring that we respect people’s dignity, rights, and choices. As a service we recognise the importance of increasing choice enabling people to have control over their lives, and we are committed to improving outcomes and maximising independence of our service users.

What we require from you:

• Social Work Degree or equivalent Social Work Qualification
• Current registration with Social Work England
• Current AMHP approval (if applicable)
• High aspirations to improve the lives our most vulnerable residents
• Exceptional knowledge of the Care Act
• Ability to manage your own workload and to work independently as well as in a team.
• Ability to make person centred, complex decisions, using evidence-based tools and analysis
• Ability to provide management and supervision for qualified and unqualified workers and promote their development and high standards of practice
• Ability to understand and demonstrate a commitment to equality and diversity
• Ability to effectively undertake partnership working with all our stakeholders and further develop these relationships
• Commitment to your own personal development and professional growth.

Our offer to you

• To be part of an established, caring, and welcoming team
• Manageable caseloads
• Access to good quality, monthly, reflective supervision
• A comprehensive induction programmes
• A wide variety of career progression routes bespoke to individual training and development needs as identified in annual PDRs
• Partnership with Research in Practice, providing access to online webinars, podcasts and materials linked to the latest research and policy updates to support your CPD and inform evidence-based reports
• 28 days annual leave rising to 33 days after 5 years continual service plus 8 bank holidays
• Enhanced sick pay, maternity/adoption leave pay and maternity support leave schemes.
• Excellent pension scheme.
• Opportunities for agile/flexible working
• Access to free eye tests and where appropriate, contribution towards spectacles
• Discounted gym membership with all Active Sefton gyms
• Cycle to work scheme
• Access to local benefits and discounts on products and services
• Hybrid working e.g. the ability to work from home or office for some part of the working week
• Occupational Health Service available to advise on work related health issues.
• Commitment to supporting your emotional and mental health with access to a free and confidential employee counselling service
• Assistance with relocation if eligible.
• Access to our Professional Practice Forum

Interviews:  To Be Held On: 20^th September 2024

Interviews will be conducted in person at Hartley Hospital, Southport