Specialist Practice Educator-social Work

**Specialist Practice Educator-Social Work (Think Ahead)**:
**Band 7**:
**Main area**
- Mental Health
- **Grade**
- Band 7
- **Contract**
- 15 months (Fixed term contract or Secondment)
- **Hours**
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share

37.5 hours per week (Full or Part time available)
- **Job ref**
- 201-23-262**Site**
- Restormel iCMHT, Alexandra House
- **Town**
- St Austell
- **Salary**
- £41,659 - £47,672 Per annum, pro rata
- **Salary period**
- Yearly
- **Closing**
- Today at 23:59Thank you for your interest in joining us at **Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.**

**We pride ourselves in striving to be an employer of choice.**

**_ Strategic Themes_**

**_ Great Care_**:

- We will deliver safe, high quality, consistent and personalised care based on best practice. We are working to be a responsive organisation that listens and learns._

**_ Great Organisation_**_ _**:

- We work to be a green organisation, and our sustainability plan will deliver NHS net zero targets. We will support quality care, research and innovation. All our work will be underpinned by clear and transparent principles and systems._

**_ Great People _**:

- We will work together with our staff to create an organisation that supports our collective health and wellbeing. We will attract, retain and develop great people, and embed a caring, open, inclusive and restorative just culture that supports us to deliver quality care._

**_ Great Partner_**:

- With our partners we will deliver health care that improves people’s quality of life, prevents ill health and reduces inequalities. We will spend our money wisely to achieve high quality outcomes that matter to local people._
- _At the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

**_ The successful applicant will be an NHS employee and may therefore have contact with vulnerable service users. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been necessary to take significant steps to protect the health and safety of our staff, service users and those attending our sites. Unless exempt, we encourage and support staff to be vaccinated as this remains the best line of defence against COVID-19._**

**Job overview**:
For the second year, CFT are partnering with Think Ahead - a charity that works with NHS and Local Authority mental health services to train exceptional social workers. We’ll be taking on four trainee social workers (participants) who will join the organisation. This is a great opportunity for you to take up the role of Specialist Practice Educator in Social Work with our Think Ahead cohort.

In this role you will:

- Join a network of leaders across the country promoting and strengthening mental health social work in the NHS.
- Lead and develop four talented participants, who are passionate about mental health and social work.
- Develop your skills in practice, supervision, and education.
- Get fully funded CPD training, including a Postgraduate Certificate in Advanced Social Work from Middlesex University.

**Role**

In this full-time fixed term / secondment position, you’ll manage a “unit” of four participants who are placed in an adult mental health service. This role is open to job share. You retain a frontline role, share a service user caseload, and act as their leader and role model. You will provide practice education of outstanding quality. You’ll work with an academic tutor and assess participants’ ability to put social work theories, interventions, and legislation into practice.

**Main duties of the job**:
Think Ahead is a charity working in partnership with NHS and Local Authority community mental health services to provide a fast track route into adult mental health social work for highly motivated graduates and career changers.

The Specialist Practice Educator (sometimes referred to as a Consultant Social Worker /CSW) will be employed by Cornwall NHS Foundation Trust to lead and supervise a unit of four Think Ahead participants who are placed in Restormel CMHT. Specialist Practice Educators provide an outstanding practice learning experience, acting as role models for participants, whilst operating at senior social work level in a multi-disciplinary team.

Management of the Think Ahead unit: Responsible for all cases allocated to the Think Ahead unit - ensuring that effective social work support is provided in each case in accordance with relevant legislation and local/national policy. Acting as a role-model for