Job summary
- Main area
- Forensic Inpatient
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (can be offered as a secondment opportunity)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday, 9-5pm)
- Job ref
- 267-FS7341484
- Employer
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Littlemore Mental Health Centre
- Town
- Oxford
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 plus an RSU allowance of £1,446 per annum | pro rata
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 04/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Forensic Inpatient Social Worker - Oxford
Band 6
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.
We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset.
We actively support anti-racism, equality, diversity, and inclusion so, if you’re excited about this job opportunity and you meet our Trust values, but feel unsure about applying, then please get in touch and we will be happy to have a conversation with you.
We are also committed to increasing diversity in the workforce, that is why we actively encourage applications from those groups of people who are currently under-represented, which include amongst others: people with disabilities; men from all socio-economic backgrounds; people from diverse ethnic backgrounds; and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Good luck and we hope to hear from you.
Job overview
This role includes an RSU allowance of £1,446 per annum on top of your salary
The Thames Valley Forensic Mental Health Service is a forward-looking, and progressive service providing high quality care to service users on their wards, through effective in-patient multi-disciplinary team-work, with ward-based Social Workers playing a pivotal role.
The forensic wards include Medium-secure Acute wards, Medium-secure Rehab wards, Low secure Units, and a Pre-discharge Unit, located across three sites – Littlemore, Oxford; Milton Keynes; and Aylesbury, Bucks. This role is based at Lambourn House, our Open Pre-discharge Unit on the Littlemore Mental Health Centre site, and will be working on other wards within the site, when required.
We are looking for a highly motivated and resourceful, qualified and registered Social Work professional who is keen to utilise their skills, and experience, to bring the social care perspective into the forensic mental health In-patient setting, supporting service users in their recovery journey. This is a 12 month fixed-term contract to cover maternity leave, which can be offered as a secondment opportunity.
This role is ideal for an experienced Social Worker who is resilient, enjoy working as part of an MDT, and sensitive to the recovery goals and needs of service users as they work towards their discharge from hospital. The work-setting will require flexibility, and ability to hot-desk.
Main duties of the job
- Work within an inpatient ward as part of a multi-disciplinary team (MDT)
- Contribute to pre-admission assessments, particularly focusing on identifying any social issues that are relevant to the person's recovery, and general circumstances.
- Identify any potential barriers to discharge at the earliest possible stage, and work with others to help overcome these.
- Provide support to the wider ward team in regard to both children’s and adult safeguarding responsibilities.
- Contribute to the ongoing care planning for in-patients, and work with partner organisations and the wider MDT to ensure risk is managed effectively. You'll be linking with relevant colleagues, Responsible Local Authorities and Integrated Care Boards to ensure that patients are assessed under the Care Act 2014 and that their 'Section 117' needs are determined in a timely manner, to facilitate effective discharge, in collaboration with the patient and their family.
- Contribute to various statutory forums including Mental Health Tribunals and Mental Health Act Hospital Managers’ Hearings.
- Demonstrate the skills to maintain their Social Work professional identity and ability to assert the social perspective when working within an inpatient environment.
Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Mental Health First Aiders
• Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
• Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Contribute to pre-admission assessments of patients referred to the Service. This will include ascertaining Local Authority section 117 responsibility, and where applicable, identifying any family, carer, or child protection issues, as well as any other relevant agencies involved.
- Following admission, to identify social care issues and ensure there is ongoing liaison with relevant agencies , so that any issues regarding property and tenancy are dealt with at an early stage.
- To have a working knowledge of relevant legislation such as the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and Care Act and to contribute to assessments of needs under the Care Act 2014 and Section 117 Aftercare needs, working with Responsible Local Authority and ICB partners to ensure arrangements are made for effective discharge planning.
- To function effectively across a variety of environments (e.g. wards of varying levels of security, service users’ homes, inter-agency settings, etc.) including contributing to home risk assessments.
- To work independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team to assert the social perspective and assess, plan, and implement patient centred programmes of care/interventions within the Care Programme Approach, contributing to the continuous assessment of patients to help meet their needs. This includes working in partnership with service users to assess progress against identified goals.
- Maintain contact with families and carers where appropriate, to identify needs including referring for Carers Assessments when required.
- Compile both non-statutory and statutory reports including CPA Reports, Social History and Needs Reports, Social Circumstances Reports for Mental Health Tribunals and Mental Health Act Hospital Managers’ Hearings, and present at the Hearings, and meetings.
- Lead on Safeguarding issues, Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) referrals and to attend MAPPA meetings where required to present cases and discuss patients.
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
Person specification
Qualifications – Academic/Skills/Professional
Essential criteria
- Professional Qualification (Degree or equivalent) in Social Work
- Professional Registration with Social Work England
- Evidence of Continuing Professional Development
Desirable criteria
- Post graduate education specifically relating to client group
- AMHP, BIA, or PEPS Qualification
Knowledge Requirements
Essential criteria
- To have knowledge of relevant legislation, e.g. Mental Health Act, Care Act, and the Mental Capacity Act
- To be IT literate
- To have good English verbal and written communication skills
- To have knowledge of Risk Assessment/Management procedures
Desirable criteria
- To have awareness of national and local policy relating to mental healthcare
- To have awareness of the Criminal Justice System
Experience
Essential criteria
- To have relevant experience which should include working with adults with mental health or learning difficulties.
- To have experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
- To understand and have experience of Risk Assessment and Risk Management
- Experience of statutory, and non-statutory report- writing
- To have experience of safeguarding vulnerable adults or children
- Experience of assessing care needs
Desirable criteria
- To have experience of working with the Criminal Justice System
- To have experience of attending Mental Health Tribunals and/or MHA Managers’ Hearings
- To have experience of working in a healthcare, in-patient setting
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Reuben Ogwo
- Job title
- Forensic Inpatient Social Work Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07768546970
- Additional information
At Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust we want to employ people not just with experience, but with the aptitude and motivation to succeed and whose values resonate with our own.
Therefore, if you don’t meet all the requirements of the role and are unsure about applying but are excited about the opportunity, please do get in touch. We will be happy to discuss the requirements in more detail ahead of making a written application.
Benjamin Asare, Deputy Team Manager
[email protected]
07501480524
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