Social Worker

Organisation
Jami is a mental health charity committed to providing practical and emotional support to the Jewish community, delivering services that educate, support and facilitate recovery. Since the start of the pandemic, demand for our services has grown exponentially. In 2021 we undertook a thorough review of the needs of the community, to develop a new strategy that will secure the Jewish community's mental health provision. The new strategy sets out a huge agenda for change in scale and provision, which will be developed over the next five years while we continue to run our diverse set of highly professional mental health services:

• Advice and advocacy
• Treatment and support
• Education and campaigning

Jami currently supports over 1,400 individuals, delivering almost 50,000 separate service interactions each year, and reaches thousands more people through education, seminars, work in schools and other organisations. Through our social enterprise community café, Head Room, we raise mental health awareness while delivering mental health support on the high street.
Job purpose
The role of Social Worker plays an integral role in the multi-skilled team at Jami. You will be working as part of our hubs and community team across Jami services. You will help to create effective links with primary care, voluntary and statutory sector organisations to support people who use Jami services. You will be expected to manage a caseload of clients who self-identify as needing mental health support requiring social work interventions.
Duties will include reporting safeguarding concerns and mental health concerns/risk to the relevant bodies. You will be expected to complete Jami risk assessments, formulate personal support plans and periodically review risks. You will also be using our Jami in house initial assessment and review tool to help service users identify their goals.
You will be supporting service users to develop care plans and set personal goals. You will co-ordinate care where required and periodically review needs.
You will support service users by linking them into other appropriate services based on identified needs where required.
We aim to

• Provide a high quality and effective social work service to respond to the needs of people with mental health problems.
• Develop and sustain professional working relationships with clients, carers, colleagues and external agencies.
• Help promote independence and well being

Responsibilities

1. To respond to members of the Jewish community who identify as needing support with their mental health
2. To work as part of a multi skilled community team of staff and volunteers
3. To be responsible for effectively managing a caseload.
4. To support the multi-skilled team with complex cases and situations.
5. To undertake assessments and where appropriate to work in partnership with statutory services.
6. To carry out initial assessments and periodic reviews as required.
7. To carry out face to face and telephone assessments as required.
8. To assess and regularly review risk in consultation with the service user and the team.
9. To ensure needs assessments and support plans are formulated, implemented and reviewed regularly.
10. To coordinate and support service users in gaining access to community resources including education and training, volunteering and employment provided both by Jami and other agencies.
11. Respond to unexpected and emotive problems, seeking solutions, modifying plans and arranging the provision of additional services and/or resources where appropriate
12. To maintain sequential and contemporaneous records as required by existing procedures and write reviews and reports when necessary
13. To highlight any safeguarding issues within the locality respond accordingly and raise these with Jami's Safeguarding Lead
14. To have a practical working knowledge of the Care Act; Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act & DOLs.
15. To maintain excellent working relationships with other statutory and non-statutory agencies
16. To provide advocacy and support applications for welfare benefits and housing.
17. To take responsibility for updating own knowledge and skills in accordance with the requirements for continued professional development.
18. To update knowledge and understanding of all relevant legislative and organisational policies and procedures.
19. To undertake relevant training to enhance the role and the development of the service.
20. To contribute to the development of Jami's policies, procedures and links to other agencies.
21. Keep up to date with practice developments through involvement in appropriate national and local networks.
22. Maintain own personal development and keep up to date with current knowledge and health and social care agenda through reading, attending study days, conferences and meetings as appropriate
23. Work within Health and Safety guidelines, with reference to the Lone Worker Policy and individual risk assessments
24. Compliance with the Equality Act, and Health and Safety legislation
25. Attend regular supervision with named supervisor
26. Participate in the organisation's appraisal process
27. Ensure that all activities are operated in a way which is consistent with the values of Jami and the Jewish community it serves.
28. Carry out any other reasonable duties as requested by your line manager or another designated senior manager

Key relationships

• Collaborate with other statutory and voluntary sector agencies and ensure that service users are signposted onto appropriate agencies such as housing, counselling and advice
• Liaise with the local community stakeholders to provide good working partnerships
• Attend local meetings, workshops and conferences of relevance to the service
• work closely with Jami in house services

Training and Qualifications
Essential

• 2 years minimum post qualifying experience in mental health services
• Must have completed NQSW (if applicable)
• Recognised Social Care Qualification Degree in Social Work, Dip SW, CQSW, CSS or equivalent
• Registered with Social Work England
• Maintain a portfolio of CPD in line with regulatory body standards (Social Work England)

Desirable

• Post qualifying awards such as practice educator
• Experience of working in a statutory mental health service
• Adult safeguarding experience

Knowledge and Experience
Essential

• Experience working in a multi-skilled team - relevant to people with mental health difficulties.
• Evidence of partnership working with other agencies including Social Care Services, Health Services, Voluntary Agencies and/or Education
• Experience of undertaking needs led assessments, care planning and reviewing
• Experience of undertaking and reviewing risk assessments
• Understanding of Recovery values and principles
• An understanding of the needs and difficulties of people who experience mental health problems.
• Ability to develop practical solutions to problems that may arise.
• Ability to form good working relationships with people who have mental health problems.
• Ability to help clients develop and maintain living skills, with support from the multi skilled team.
• Knowledge and understanding of Social Care practice
• Knowledge of appropriate legislation and issues relevant to client group e.g
• Mental Health Act 1983 and Amendment 2007 and Equality Act 2010 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, Care Act 2014
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Understanding of social care resources and provision available in both statutory and non-statutory agencies
• A champion for the values and objectives of prevention, early intervention and Social Care in enabling people to exercise choice and control over their lives
• Good organisational skills - an ability to manage time, prioritise work and meet deadlines
• A commitment to equal opportunities and anti-discriminatory practice
• A commitment to ongoing personal and professional development
• Working in partnership with other agencies
• Proficient use of IT

Desirable

• Local knowledge of community resources and facilities
• Experience and knowledge of the Jewish community
• Working in a complex and changing environment
• Ability to gather, analyse and interpret data
• Personal experience of using mental health services and/or mental health problems, distress or trauma.

Supervision
The post holder will be expected to: -

• Attend and participate in regular supervision with named supervisor.
• Participate in a programme of continued personal development.
• Incorporate feedback from supervision into practice.
• Attend relevant training
• Maintain CPD
• Engage in annual appraisal process

Flexibility
To deliver services effectively, a degree of flexibility is needed, and all post-holders may be required to perform work not specifically referred to above. Such duties will fall within the general scope of the job description. The job description will therefore be subject to periodic review with the post holder to ensure it accurately reflects the duties of the job. The post will include face to face meetings with service users across Jami sites as well as remote working where required...... click apply for full job details