Social Work Assistant

Job overview
To have delegated responsibilities for the safe and effective delivery of a social work service to service users within Home Treatment Team Service.
To support the delivery of support and social work interventions as agreed with service users/carers and under the direction of the Social Work Team/MDT to meet the needs of individuals using the service.

What is High Cost Area Allowance?
The High-Cost Area (HCA) allowance, also referred to as London Weighting is a payment made to employees who work in London and the surrounding areas.
As this post is based in Dartford the successful applicant will receive an additional payment each month.

• 5% of basic salary, subject to a minimum payment of £1,258 per year and a maximum payment of £2,121 per year (the agreed annual amount will be divided into 12 equal amounts and paid monthly)

The salary listed is inclusive of the High-Cost Area Allowance.

Main duties of the job

• To undertake certain specified tasks with service users as agreed with the Social Worker/MDT
• To liaise with a range of partnership agencies, both statutory and voluntary on behalf of service users as well as the wider MDT.
• Encourage feedback from service users/carers and other professionals about our service delivery
• Be aware of the need to report any safeguarding issues as a matter of urgency and complete the necessary paperwork
• Contribute to safeguarding investigations
• Contribute to risk assessment and risk management planning
• Support our Child Protection policy in completing and recording contracts with SSD and Persons with PR
• Support the undertaking of capacity assessments where appropriate and when advice is available
• Developing skills and ability to work effectively with service users who are experiencing severe and enduring mental health problems and may be in crisis
• Keeping abreast of changes in legislation, policy and practice guidance

Working for our organisation
Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.
We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people in Kent and Medway, as well as specialist services for adults in Sussex and Surrey. We are rated Good overall by the CQC.
Each year we care for over 2,000 people in our hospitals and 54,000 people in the community.
We are proud to employ over 3,800 people from 66 nationalities, and to serve an increasingly diverse range of communities across rural and urban areas.
You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.
The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.
Our strategy
Our mission is what we set out to do every day
We deliver brilliant care through brilliant people
Our vision is where we want to be in the future
To provide outstanding care and to work in partnership to deliver this in the right place, for every service user, every time.
Check out our recruitment videos Recruitment - YouTube

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To support the delivery of a competent level of social work to assist service users with their health and wellbeing needs.
• To assist in the assessment of service user's mental well-being and community support and care needs under the supervision of a qualified social worker.
• To work as a member of the MDT, to liaise and share information with social work and nursing/health colleagues.
• To ensure that accurate and reliable documentation of patient records are maintained in accordance with local and Trust standards.
• To liaise and work closely with outside agencies as required.
• Develop networks with other organisations and key staff

Person specification

Training, Qualifications and Registration

Essential criteria

• NVQ Level three

Desirable criteria

• NVQ Level four

Experience

Essential criteria

• Experience of working in a caring environment, including the undertaking of initial assessments and risk assessments and the drafting of support plans.
• Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
• Experience of working and liaising with other partnership agencies

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working within mental health services

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of mental health conditions
• Good awareness of social issues and knowledge and experience of the problems relating to particular service users
• Understanding the Social Work task
• Knowledge of Adult/Children Safeguarding procedures
• Ability to work as member of a team
• Effective communication skills, both orally and written, in order to communicate effectively with service users and their families, colleagues and external agencies
• Ability to record and maintain written notes
• Able to prioritise workload and work effectively on own initiative and undertake delegated tasks
• To be self aware and recognise appropriate boundaries in client relations
• demonstrate a sensitive, and empathetic response to service users and carers

Desirable criteria

• A good understanding of local facilities and resources
• Able to use RiO
• Competent IT skills (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Good self-awareness
• Reliable
• Non-judgemental

KMPT Staff Benefits:
NHS pension scheme Your employer pays 23.7% towards your pension and life assurance benefits.
Please see Apply. Apply/Pensions.aspx for more details.
Annual leave for Agenda for Change On appointment to NHS
27 days for full time or pro rata if part time
After 5 years NHS service
29 days full time or pro rata if part time
After 10 years NHS service
33 days full time or pro rata if part time
Plus bank holidays, that's up to 41 days - more than 8 weeks paid time off!
Medical staffs have national Terms and Conditions.
Buying and selling of annual leave is also available as part of our flexible approach to staff benefits.
Recommend a friend campaign If you already work for us you could refer a friend from outside of the Trust to any of the roles below and you can receive £1000 if they are successfully recruited; Nursing staff - RMN RGN RNLD - Band 5 and 6, Medical Doctors, Clinical Psychologist and Allied Health Professionals,
Flexible working Covers job share, term time working, flexible shifts etc. Just ask and we will try to help.