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Job summary

Main area
Social Work Research Lead
Grade
Band 7
Contract
Fixed term: 12 months (Funded outside of a block contract)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
351-CS2757-CL
Employer
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Social Work Projects
Town
Longridge
Salary
£47,810 - £54,710 pa
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
02/09/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust logo

Social Work Research Lead

Band 7

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

•    Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
•    Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
•    Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.

Job overview

As an experienced registered social worker, you will be responsible for furthering the research capacity building for social workers within Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS foundation trust, and the neighbouring organisations who host social workers. LSCft employ more than 260 social workers, and this post is the first of its kind, first established in 2023.

Your purpose will be to increase the engagement in research for social workers, building on the foundations created by the existing post holder. You will also deliver research engagement and research activities commissioned by external funders to internal and external staff and communities including service users.

You will contribute to establishing and embedding the brilliant basics pillars of practice for social workers within LSCft, and the continual embedding of a research culture in this profession.

You will be located within the social worker leadership team, and report directly to the senior Social Work Research Lead, Associate Directors and Directors for Social Work. Here you can increase your knowledge and experience, supported by an experience leadership team.

With this support, and that of the wider organisation, you will have opportunity to pursue your own research interests. Increasing research capacity and the development of evidence-based practice, which you will disseminate across the organisation, improving the outcomes and experience for those people accessing services from LSCft.  

Main duties of the job

This role includes building upon the existing social work research infrastructure, which has been established for two years. It allows you to form and increase relationships with social workers across LSCft to inspire and excite them about participating in research. 

You will be an experienced social worker, comfortable working with other social workers and professionals across a large geographical patch, and colleagues in Local Authorities and Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise organisations, including people who access those services.

You will be highly organised and able to prioritise competing tasks, often with tight deadlines.

You will be confident and competent presenting your outputs in written reports to national organisations, contributing to journal articles and blogs, and at conferences. You will support the coordination of the annual Social Work Research Conference hosted by LSCft. 

You will be able to present research in an accessible and enticing way to colleagues, and understand the pressures of those in frontline roles, to tailor that approach to other Social Workers. You will be committed to your own Continuous Professional Development, taking up opportunities to address own knowledge gaps and increase confidence in research engagement and delivery. 

You will be invested in the importance of research to create and improve evidence base to improve the lives of those people accessing service, and how services are shaped and delivered. 

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.


The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.


Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification

Education, Qualifications and Training

Essential criteria
  • • Master’s degree in relevant subject or equivalent knowledge and experience
  • • Evidence of continuing professional development related to research and development

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • • NIHR funding options and other potential grant opportunities, e.g. charities, professional associations
  • • Knowledge of social work practice within and NHS setting – the challenges, strength and tensions related to practice.
  • • Quantitative and qualitative research methods

Experience

Essential criteria
  • • Experience of working towards becoming an independent researcher
  • • Experience of data collection on funded projects relating to mental health
  • • Work with people with mental health difficulties
  • • Knowledge of clinical services/clinical experience
  • • Experience of preparing reports and summarising data

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential criteria
  • • Ability to secure external research funding
  • • Project / programme management
  • • Ability to produce written work to high standard of accuracy, quality and presentation
  • • Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) including an ability to communicate and work across a number of different settings
  • • Ability to work reliably and consistently towards agreed goals and managed at regular intervals

Other

Essential criteria
  • • Creative, innovative, lateral thinker and has an ability to generate solutions
  • • Ability to work with people from different backgrounds and of different ages
  • • Ability to work well with staff of all grades/disciplines and interact professionally at all times
  • • Ability to be flexible and adapt to changing circumstances

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerCare Leaver CovenantStep into healthDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - Gold

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. You are therefore advised to consider applying for this vacancy as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Katy Cleece
Job title
Social Work Research Lead
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07956 982286
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