Job Description

This is a Band 6 post; however, we would consider a Band 5/6 developmental post for the right candidate.



The BSW Specialist Community Perinatal Mental Health Service is looking for Perinatal Keyworkers to join our team, covering either the North or South of Wiltshire, with the option of being based at Hathaway Medical Centre or Fountain Way Hospital.



The team is multidisciplinary, providing support for women who experience serious mental health problems or present with a high risk of relapse during pregnancy and the postnatal period. We offer assessment and treatment aimed at addressing mental ill health and enhancing the mother-infant relationship where mental health needs have impacted this. We provide multi-agency training in perinatal mental health to other professionals and agencies working with women in the perinatal period, in addition to offering consultation and advice. Currently, the team is able to work alongside women and their families from pregnancy until their infant's first birthday.



This post is suitable for experienced and professionally registered Nurses, Occupational Therapists, or Social Workers. You must have experience of working with women in the perinatal period or a good understanding of the specific mental health issues that can affect these women.



Perinatal Mental Health is a rapidly expanding area with significant investment being made. This means there will be high-quality training and potential opportunities for career development for successful candidates.



You will be required to provide assessment and key working for an allocated caseload of service users with perinatal mental health needs. This will include key tasks such as undertaking high-quality assessments, developing personal well-being plans, delivering and reviewing therapeutic interventions. You will act as a supervisor and role model to others. You will also be required to act as a mentor to students, cover duty on a rotational basis, and provide training to teams both within and outside AWP. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate a high level of decision-making skills and work independently. They must also have a good understanding of safeguarding.



Access to your own transport for work use is essential, as public transport is unreliable in parts of the BSW area.



For a full list of duties and responsibilities, please see the attached job description.



We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.



We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.



Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.



AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence-based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services.



At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.



1. To undertake the full range of activities required to deliver ongoing, comprehensive mental health assessments for service users with severe and enduring mental health needs living in the community and in a range of settings.



2. To be responsible for developing, delivering, and reviewing comprehensive and complex treatment programmes using appropriate frameworks in line with evidence-based practice, including strategies to manage risk for service users with complex needs and carers, bringing in other resources as required.



3. To act as keyworker for service users with the most complex needs, also providing defined interventions to individuals on other workers' caseloads.



4. To plan, deliver, and evaluate defined specialist therapeutic interventions as indicated in the assessment process, in line with personal well-being plans, including to service users who may be on other caseloads. This might include:



a. Individual or group therapeutic interventions

b. Psychological treatments such as CBT, DBT approaches, family interventions

c. Psychosocial interventions

d. Motivational and coping enhancement strategies

e. Medication management

f. Interventions under the Mental Health Act



5. To deliver a range of defined activities/interventions to improve carers' ability to support the service user and to enable them in their relationship with the service user.



6. To develop and maintain good partnership working with other services throughout all treatment episodes, including regular liaison within the Primary Health Care Team, inpatient and intensive services, day services, voluntary sector, and with nominated carers/advocates.

Note:

This post is open to newly qualified social workers. In line with AWP Trust policy, all newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) will be recruited initially at Band 5 level, regardless of advertised role banding. All NQSWs are expected to successfully complete their ASYE within two years of employment, unless there are exceptional circumstances, in which case it may be extended for a further two years.



If you have been appointed to an advertised Band 6 role, this will be an automatic progression following confirmation of your successful ASYE completion. If you have been appointed to a Band 5 post, you will then be eligible to apply for a subsequent Band 6 vacancy upon successful ASYE completion.



For a full list of duties and responsibilities, please see the attached job description.