CNWL London Perinatal Service provide community perinatal mental health services in 5 boroughs, the Maternity-Trauma and Loss Care Service as well as Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit.

Coombe Wood is a highly regarded specialist perinatal service providing inpatient treatment and support for pregnant and postnatal women experiencing mental health and emotional difficulties. We support women/birthing people with their babies up to a year old. It is a 10 bedded unit commissioned by NHSE and we accept referrals from anywhere in the country though typically our admissions are from across London and the South East.

Our multi-disciplinary team consists of doctors, nurses, nursery nurses, therapists and support staff who are experienced specialists offering mental health treatment for mothers and support with infant care and development and encouraging the formation of lasting positive bonds.

As the Social Worker within the team you will be working with the MDT to support woman/birthing people and new parents to best support their families needs in a holistic manner. Supporting linking in creating long-term support plans in the community on discharge and escalating any children/adult safeguarding concerns and working with the ward and wider MDT to advocate for both Parent and Infants needs.

Main duties of the job

To provide social work input to the assessment, planning and treatment of mothers and birthing people admitted to the unit and their families.

The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of social work services ensuring the needs of individual mothers/birthing people and their babies are met. They will provide social care advice to staff and take a lead role in safeguarding for the MBU. They will work closely with other agencies and individuals to support mothers/birthing people with a clear focus on recovery, social inclusion and social justice. The role will entail assessment, support planning and the opportunity to provide 1-1 strength based therapeutic interventions.

To liaise with, advise and support a range of external and partnership agencies both voluntary and statutory specifically will regards to safeguarding and protecting vulnerable adults and children.

To provide children and families social care expertise and legislative knowledge to the service.

To deliver these services in accordance with current legislation, local authority and Trust policies and procedures. To fulfil statutory and other requirements of a social worker as and when appropriate

To work in a therapeutic, client-centred way and use a range of evidence-based interventions to help promote recovery through individual or joint working with other professionals.

About us

Central and North West London NHS Trust expects all Band 6 Social Worker to act in a way which shows you understand our core values and are willing to put them into practice with service users, their friends family and carers and also other staff

As a Band 6 Social Worker we expect you to show COMPASSION, contribute to a caring and kind environment and recognise that what you do and say helps can make the lives of others.

We expect you to RESPECT everyone and acknowledge and welcome people's differences rather than ignore them or see them as problematic.

We expect you to EMPOWER others and continually try to provide information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own.

We expect you to work in PARTNERSHIP and behave in a way that shows that you recognise that commissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and pay for our work .

The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. To provide social work input to the Inpatient Perinatal service.

2. To work in partnership with service users, families and carers to meet social care needs within a range of highly complex situations that may arise from perinatal mental health needs

3. To work together with the Lead Social Worker to provide an effective social work service for service users, their families and carers by ensuring access to appropriate resources from local authorities and a range of external agencies on a national level.

4. To have a specific consultative role in relation to Safeguarding Issues and to liaise appropriately with the Nursing and Clinical Safeguarding leads. To work alongside the Lead Social Worker to support a Think Family approach throughout the service with regards to safeguarding and family law within the context of perinatal mental ill-health.

5. To take a lead in the implementation of child safeguarding practices, promoting the welfare of children and to follow national, London, and CNWL child protection policies and procedures. To attend local and out of area multi- agency child safeguarding meetings as required.

6. To support staff in identifying and managing adult safeguarding concerns in accordance with Trust and National guidance and policy alongside dedicated safeguarding leads. This will include Domestic Abuse.

7. To make referrals where appropriate and to provide and access advocacy, information and guidance for service users, carers and agencies

8. To work as a member of the multi-disciplinary inpatient team exercising social work professional responsibility for providing highly specialist assessments and follow-up for women/birthing people with complex problems. This includes assessment of risk in relation to self-harm, self-neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic abuse and safeguarding children and adults.

9. To coordinate care for service users and their babies by undertaking risk assessments and plans for aftercare informed by specialist knowledge of the Children Act 1989 and Children Act 2004, the Mental Health Act 1983, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Care Act 2014, in accordance with policy guidance and procedures.

10. To engage service users and their families providing direct work as appropriate to support positive parenting and mental health recovery.

11. To take a lead in ensuring that support is provided to family members and carers of women/birthing people within the unit. To identify carers/signpost for support as appropriate.

12. To Champion the Partners assessment in the Team and work collaboratively with the Social work Lead and team in reviewing partners work as part of the NHS LTP.

13. To be aware of the needs of women and their families from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious and social backgrounds. To apply social work ethical principles and values and to use critical reflection and analysis to respect diversity and to guide professional practice in sensitive and innovative ways.

14. To promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, maintaining an awareness of the equality and diversity policy and working to create and maintain a safe, supportive and welcoming environment where all people are treated with dignity and their identity and culture are valued and respected

15. To attend professional social work supervision with the Lead Social Worker to promote continuous professional development. To maintain links with the perinatal social work service and to attend meetings as required.

16. To produce and write complex reports and complete agreed core tasks for CNWL undertaking procedural and administrative duties related to the social work function.

17. To assist in appropriate service developments, quality assurance audits and research as deemed appropriate and in consultation with the PMOA Safeguarding Lead and the ward manager.

18. To carry out the duties and responsibilities of the post, in accordance with Trust Health and Safety Policy and relevant Health and Safety legislation.

2. Communication

To use excellent communication skills and to develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with service users and their families and carers who may at times be in situations of emotional distress.

. To develop and maintain effective working relationships and networks with colleagues within mental health services, primary care, voluntary agencies and other partner agencies to ensure well -co-ordinated care.

To actively participate in team meetings and clinical reviews, as required, to help promote team cohesiveness, multidisciplinary working and collaboration with colleagues in all parts of the Trust. To use these forums to problem-solve and identify risk and concerns with the team and ensure agreed decisions are implemented and documented.

To ensure that views of all service users are effectively sought, channelled and acted upon, including the efficient processing of complaints or untoward incidents in accordance with the Trust policy.

To engage and empower mothers/birthing people and their families and actively to elicit service user and carer feedback in order to ensure person centred interventions.

To advise the Multi-Disciplinary team on matters related to social work practice within perinatal mental health

To maintain accurate and up-to-date records utilising electronic media as necessary, and ensuring any hand-written documentation is legible and in accordance with professional guidelines and best practice. To maintain statistical information records required by the Trust for reporting on Performance Management.

To complete agreed audit and evaluation measures and provide and collate information relevant to performance management as requested.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Current Professional Qualification in Social work.
• Evidence of post registration training and CPD.

Desirable

• Training in Psychosocial Interventions or Thorn Family Therapy/Work training Other relevant training, e.g. perinatal mental health

Experience

Essential

• Previous experience working within Mental Health Inpatient Services
• Experience as a Mental Health Social Worker
• Experience of knowledge of perinatal mental health
• Demonstrate good knowledge of Adult safeguarding legal frameworks and how to navigate
• Demonstarte good knowledge of Children safeguarding legal frameworks and how to navigate
• Good written and report writing skills
• Excellent communication skills
• Able to network and liaise with external services for care planning
• Experience using and working with families and using Genograms

Desirable

• Experience of leading groups
• Experience teaching students
• Experience leading teaching sessions

Employer details

Employer name

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit

Acton

London

NW10 7FL

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

333-J-PERI-0142