Mental Health Specialist Social Worker

About The BoroughThis special place in South West London between the capital and the country has been a Royal borough longer than anywhere else - it is where the first kings of England were crowned.Today it is a vibrant and diverse borough, with a long history and strong cultural and community heritage. Kingston's riverside location, fantastic retail offer, historic market place and church, parks and gardens all make Kingston town centre the vibrant space it is, and each of our district town centres (Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth and Chessington) have something unique to offer.Situated in Zone 6, Kingston is among the best-connected town centres in London – with direct train links from Kingston and Surbiton stations to Clapham Junction and London Waterloo, as well as Wimbledon for an interchange with the London Underground and Tramlink.Kingston's people are innovative and entrepreneurial, and have a strong sense of community pride. The borough has been home to great industry and creativity for many years, reflected in assets such as the Rose Theatre, the International Youth Arts Festival and Kingston University, which boasts more new graduate business start-ups than any other.We have seen tremendous generosity and compassion within our communities, particularly in response to COVID-19, which is a demonstration of Kingston's key strength. The council offers a strong level of support to vulnerable groups and those who need additional support, which has also increased significantly as a result of the pandemic. Like most places, the average age of our population is rising as more people are living longer, so we are working closely with residents to help them maintain their independence and further improve the cost effectiveness of our service to meet the ongoing rise in demand.Kingston is home to people from diverse and interesting cultures and backgrounds, which helps to create the rich sense of community shared across the borough. In particular, Kingston has a large Sri Lankan Tamil community and is home to more people from Korea than any other part of the UK.About The Role And Our Ideal CandidateThis role focuses on promoting the well-being of Kingston residents and supporting the team to achieve high performance while assisting vulnerable residents in accordance with relevant legislation. Key responsibilities include:Working with the team manager and senior practitioners to maintain team performance and allocate cases.Managing budget responsibilities and approving care plans, Care Act Assessments, care reviews, and Mental Capacity Assessments and Best Interest Meetings.Conducting regular supervision with qualified/unqualified staff and support staff.Maintaining staff motivation and contributing to staff retention.Managing a complex caseload in adherence to the Care Act and Mental Capacity Act.About YouSound knowledge and relevant work experience on the Care Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and other relevant legislation.Demonstrable understanding of the principles and application of excellent adult social careManaging competing demands and complex caseload and support team leader and other senior practitioners in running the teamDemonstrable experience of creating effective working relationships with internal and external customersStrong literacy, numeracy, interpersonal and IT skillsLiaison with legal and attendance to Court of Protection Hearing if neededCandidate will work alongside the manager and other seniors in doing case allocation Candidate to liaise with Mental Health services to discuss joint approaches Candidate to be able to work in the office twice a week as per the team's charterIdeally the candidate would have experience of supervising staff members and budget responsibilityAbout UsThe Kingston Hub is dedicated to supporting vulnerable residents who require assistance under the Care Act 2014.Our high-performing team consists of 15 qualified and unqualified members, senior practitioners, and a team manager. We all uphold the STAR Values, striving to be Supportive, Transparent, Appreciative, and Respectful in our daily work.Our staff responsibilities include conducting Care Act Assessments, care reviews, Mental Capacity Assessments, and Best Interest Meetings. We also collaborate with colleagues in other teams/departments to implement care services.We work closely with GP practices and health colleagues to provide an integrated service, participating in Proactive Anticipatory Care meetings and facilitating hospital discharges for Kingston residents under Discharge to Assess pathways.Additionally, our team addresses Safeguarding enquiries and promotes residents' wellbeing. We conduct enquiries to protect vulnerable adults who are experiencing or at risk of abuse and neglect, ensuring they receive appropriate support, information, and advice.Our social workers also complete CHC Checklists, attend DSTs, and work with colleagues in the ICB.We are committed to providing information, advice, and signposting to external agencies whenever necessary.Our Offer To YouAs an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we're committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We're constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)Three volunteering days per year in KingstonFlexible and agile working arrangementsComprehensive learning and development programmeDiscounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centresInterest free season ticket loansLocal Government Pension SchemeBicycle loan facilities and cycle to work schemeZip car schemeFree eye tests and contribution towards glassesConfidential wellbeing and counselling supportSubsidised gym membershipApplication ProcessPlease apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please ensure you refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application.The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.We are committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) so all personal information that can identify job applicants e.g. name, title etc is completely anonymised during the shortlisting process. Our hiring managers review applications based on the knowledge, skills and experience demonstrated in your application, and how well these match the job profile. Our HR Shared Service with Sutton Council was recently recognised nationally for having the 'Best Inclusion and Diversity Programme' at the PPMA Excellence in People Management Awards 2023, something that we're incredibly proud of.Hiring managers are encouraged to ensure that their interview panel is diverse, and representative of a range of protected characteristics, to help remove unconscious bias and ensure candidates are treated fairly during the selection process. Some characteristics may not be obvious, but our panels are diverse wherever possible. We have a number of measures in place to inform and support our approach, including mandatory EDI and unconscious bias training for all staff, safer recruitment training for diverse panel members, engaging with our staff networks and encouraging allyship. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.Additional InformationWe are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government's minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance.