Job Description

About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join one of the Older People Mental Health Social Work Team in Cambridgeshire. We have one Senior Social Worker post available within the Older People Mental Health Team - South . We are looking for an experienced and dedicated individual wanting to develop their career at a senior level and/or into the inspiring area of mental health. Having additional qualifications such as Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), Best Interest Assessor (BIA), or Practice Educator (PE) is desirable but willingness to train up is also acceptable.


This role would entail working on cases which are of a complex nature and supporting junior social work colleagues by mentoring and providing support, guidance, and advice when required. It would also involve covering certain tasks for the manager when appropriate.


We want to hear from you if you are looking for a new career opportunity, you are self-motivated, organised, able to seek solutions to problems and have strong social work values. We offer a wide range of benefits including ongoing training and career development opportunities, regular supervision, mileage allowance, flexible agile working, generous annual leave entitlement, as well as membership of the Local Government Pension scheme.


The Mental Health Social Work Team is an integral part of the mental health multidisciplinary team and as such we are co-located within the wider CPFT mental health team. The mental health Social Workers based within the service are a highly valued group. They provide legal expertise and a social perspective to the multidisciplinary team, ensuring that service users receive a recovery-focused and holistic service to support their recovery and wellbeing. Social Work input is aimed at recognising people's strengths, enabling people to exert choice and to live fulfilled lives, whilst supporting them to minimise risks to their wellbeing. There is a strong culture of support within the team and colleagues are willing to share knowledge, support and experience.


Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.


For an informal discussion about our vacancies, please contact Michelle Foster, Michelle.Foster2@cpft.nhs.uk 07517568871 .


Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.


We are looking for exceptional Social Workers to join us on our journey. For an informal discussion about our vacancies, contact Beth on 01480 372 425 or e-mail welovesocialworkers@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.


We are proud to serve the diverse the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we believe benefits our employees, the organisation and our communities.


What will you be doing?

This social work role is focused on supporting adults who are experiencing severe and complex mental health difficulties. We work within the multidisciplinary mental health team to provide a social work perspective and support people to move towards recovery, in whatever this means for them. We focus on early intervention and prevention in order to support people's independence and connections within their communities.


As a social work service, we undertake Adult Social Care Assessments and support planning under The Care Act 2014 to consider people's strengths and needs and work in partnership with them to source solutions and interventions. We often work with the most vulnerable in society and our social workers are skilled at negotiating complex situations which may require skilled interventions, decision-making and action. We work within current Adult Social Care legislation and complete mental capacity assessments and best interest decisions. We proactively safeguard people in consideration of risks and protect people from harm whilst protecting their Human Rights and empowering people in their decisions.


As a Mental Health Social Work team, we are also skilled in negotiating the local authority's statutory duties with regards to S117 Mental Health Act 1983 aftercare. This includes completing multidisciplinary S117 reviews as well as pursuing joint support agreements with the ICB.


We are a small and supportive team who meet up regularly in person to support the connections within the team and to support each other in our wellbeing and development.


The post's main base will be at Bevan House, Brookfields Hospital, Cambridge. However, it will be possible for the post holder to spend time at different sites across the county as well as to work from home regularly.


About you

Cambridgeshire County Council's approach to social work and social care is proactive, preventative and personalised. This is focused on holistic and creative solutions to enable individuals to meet their aspirations through the care and support planning process. You will be bringing this approach to the multi-disciplinary team, providing a social perspective to understanding people's mental health challenges.


We are looking for an enthusiastic individual who will value being a part of a supportive team with flexible working and a focus on relationship-based practice.


The essential criteria for the post will require that you have a recognised social work qualification, have a current Social Work England registration and a proven track record that demonstrates your knowledge, skills and experience of social work in the field.


The successful candidate must be willing and able to travel independently.

For a full list of the requirements of the role, please check out the and Person Specification.

About us

Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.


Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.


We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don't meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don't be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.


Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.


We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.


Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.


https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/council/jobs-and-careers


Our benefits

We value our colleagues in Cambridgeshire County Council and have developed a number of benefits in addition to the basics like annual leave, sick pay, pension and mileage...

A comprehensive

wellbeing package

to cover

all aspects of wellbeing

, both in and out of work, which can also be accessed by your family 6 days of

protected time

each year to support in maintaining your Continuous Professional Development A

pay progression scheme

to enable you to accelerate through the pay grade as you gain experience and skills

Scalable retention payments

of up to

8,852

over a 3 year period, starting after your first full year of employment, in specific teams A

Refer a Friend Scheme

where if you refer another Social Worker to us who is subsequently employed by us as a result of that introduction, we'll pay you an introduction fee of 350 Access to

development opportunities

, apprenticeships and qualified coaches to support

your personal and professional growth

For more information and to see our other benefits, take a look at the benefits brochure attached to this advert.