Job summary
- Main area
- Healthcare Science Practitioner in Social Sciences
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 334-CLI-7474047
- Employer
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Bethlem Royal Hospital
- Town
- Beckenham
- Salary
- £53,751 - £60,651 per annum Incl. of outer HCAs
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 03/11/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Advanced Social Work Practitioner
Band 7
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.
We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.
We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.
The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.
Our Values
We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.
As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.
Job overview
Social workers play a significant role within this service delivery framework and are key in the co-ordination of the internal transition and discharge of patients back into the community. You have a dedicated scope in promoting social work value and have the responsibility for leading on safeguarding, risk management and discharge planning. The Trust is committed to promoting research and development and works jointly with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) which provides support and advice to staff and students who would like to undertake research in SLaM.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be based at River House, Bethlem Royal Hospital, MSU. Using social work values and principles of the recovery model, we are looking for energetic, dynamic social workers with a high degree of commitment to this client group. Experience of working with mentally disordered offenders would be an advantage.
Working for our organisation
We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It’s important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer
Some of our benefits are highlighted here:
Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.
Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.
Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
River House opened in 2008 and is fast becoming recognised as a world leader in developing high quality therapeutic interventions and best practice in working with mentally disordered offenders, aged between 18 - 65. It is an 89 bed medium secure service with specialism in the treatment and care of both male and female patients, personality disorder, preparing for discharge and different levels of rehabilitation. All the individual specialisms support each other and meet weekly to plan and promote the transition of care with the expectation of reducing length of stays for service users.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- CQSW/DipSW or Degree in Social Work
- Current registration with Social Work England
Desirable criteria
- AMHP/BIA qualification
- Practice Education Qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive post qualifying experience of working in statutory adult mental health at band 6 or above (or equivalent).
- Experience of multi-professional collaboration at a senior level, including working in partnership with other statutory agencies.
- Experience of promoting service user and carer involvement
Desirable criteria
- Working with mentally disordered offenders/working in forensic social work services
Knowledge/skills
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of the application of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act and the relevant Codes of Practice
- Knowledge of mental disorders and their complexities
- Knowledge of safeguarding legislation, policy and procedures.
- Strong understanding of risk assessment models and implementing risk management processes
- Experience using IT including electronic clinical recording systems and Microsoft Office (Word/Outlook/Teams)
Desirable criteria
- Understanding of mental health secure services and pathways
- Experience in liaising with MAPPA/MARAC and other agencies.
- Supervision of staff/students
- Understanding of auditing processes and quality improvement
- An understanding of effective systems for governance and the management of clinical and non-clinical risks
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Victoria Hart
- Job title
- Head of Social WOrk
- Email address
- [email protected]
List jobs with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in Allied Health Professions or all sectors