Senior Social Worker – WAMHS – Worthing

Job Category : Social Care – Qualified

Location : Bridge House – Worthing, West Sussex County Council

Hours Per Week : 37.00

Start Date : Immediate Start

Start Time : 09:00

End Time : 17:30

Salary:  £27.81

Location – Bridge House – Worthing

About the job

In this challenging, but rewarding role, you will be required to act as allocated 

social worker responsible for delivering a statutory social work service to those 

people who access or need specialist mental health services, to include 

assessment, planning, implementing and review. This includes being responsible 

for leading on specialist areas of service delivery (for example peri-natal, early 

intervention, transitions and homelessness), ensuring that key developments are 

communicated to colleagues and that business change is successfully 

implemented.

You will work as part of a geographically based specialist mental health social 

work team, providing a service to people who are aged 18-65, with occasional 

contact with young people in transition, who are under 18.

Required experience and skills 

(These will be used as the shortlisting criteria)

Key Skills:

1. Ability to analyse and interpret complex people related information and data 

in order to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service 

provision. 

2. Solution focussed with the ability to analyse a range of complex situations 

and provide forward thinking strategies and solutions that consider a variety 

of possible solutions and balance risks/resources and desired outcomes. 

3. Ability to undertake direct work with those who access or need the service in 

order to support individuals. Ability to work in partnership with carers, 

colleagues and a variety of external agencies in order to deliver the most 

effective service. 

4. Ability to work proactively as a member of the team to make an accurate 

assessment of needs and negotiate and implement effective plans and 

outcomes. Ability to be proactive in having up-to-date knowledge and 

understanding of changes in legislation, white papers, current research and 

best practice developments. 

5. Highly developed communication skills in order to communicate clearly and 

effectively in both written and oral format, including the ability to explain 

complicated information to a wide range of people and negotiate and 

persuade others to adopt a particular course of action that they may not 

otherwise wish to take. 

6. Ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, and to 

seek appropriate support, advice and supervision. 

Qualifications and/or experience:

• Degree in relevant professional or equivalent qualification e.g. Certificate of 

Qualification in Social Work or Diploma in Social Work. 

• Completion of relevant post qualifying training. 

• Registration with the relevant professional registration body and 

responsibility for maintaining registration with that body. 

• Approved Mental Health Practitioner (it is a requirement to have AMHP 

qualification or to be working towards the qualification to be complete within 

2 years of appointment and to maintain level of knowledge).

• Practice Teacher’s Award – Desirable

• Full, valid driving licence.

• Experience of working with service users with severe and enduring mental 

health problems in the community.

• Advanced theoretical, practical and procedural knowledge of social work. 

Knowledge of current social work research, legislation, white papers and 

developments in best practice. Good, up-to-date working knowledge of 

legislation relevant to the specialist area of the post e.g. Mental Health Act, 

Mental Capacity Act. 

Job Description & Person Specification

• Advanced knowledge of risk management within Mental Health. 

• Breadth of understanding of the therapeutic interventions that can be used 

and an excellent understanding of the partnership agencies including health, 

housing, learning, statutory, voluntary and independent sector. 

• Demonstrable experience of dealing with a wide breadth of issues and 

complex situations and using highly developed analytical skills to provide 

solution focussed and resource efficient options. 

• Evidence of good assessment skills, including the ability to ensure regular 

reviews and risk management with a variety of individuals, carers or families. 

Evidence of effectively prioritising work and meeting deadlines. 

• Experience of effective partnership working with those who access or need 

the service and maintaining a focus on the needs of the individual whilst 

handling conflict and disagreement. 

• Experience of forming effective working relationships within a multi-agency/ 

multidisciplinary setting. 

• Evidence of working with those who access or need the service to identify 

issues and identify specific action by means of creative and pragmatic 

solutions. 

• Experience of managing levels of risk within a caseload of complex 

safeguarding cases. 

• Experience of effectively coaching and supervising others, acting as a practice 

role model and promoting exemplary practice.

• Sound and accurate IT knowledge.