Job summaryAre you an experienced Social Worker looking for a dynamic role where you can make a significant impact? HPFT's Social Care Practice Team supports Adult Community Mental Health Services across Hertfordshire to deliver the highest quality social care within our communities. In this role you will:Champion social care, staying abreast of legislation and statutory guidance.Provide expert advice on social work practice and legislative issues.Conduct complex assessments and reviews using the Care Act 2014 eligibility framework.Support service users and carers directly and indirectly, ensuring choice and community-based support.Support the commissioning of appropriate health and social care services, including Direct Payments.Lead adult social work and social care initiatives across the county.Deliver training to individuals and teams.Advocate for best practices in carer assessments and support.Facilitate partnerships to develop recovery-focused community services.Engage service users and carers for feedback to drive service improvements.You will be based in a small, but crucial team of Senior Social Work practitioners to ensure practice governance and quality oversight of social care activity across the county. If you're passionate about empowering service users and carers and improving social care outcomes, we want to hear from you.Main duties of the jobTo be a champion of social care with a comprehensive understanding of legislation and statutory guidance.To keep up to date with accurate, consistent and robust social care, safeguarding and legal practice.To offer skilled and up to date professional advice and guidance within a locality on the full range of social work and social care practice, including legislative issues.In return, we can offer you:leadership and management training opportunities5% on top of basic salary high cost allowance supplement (subject to a minimum and a maximum payment pro rata)27 days holiday rising to 33 days (depending on NHS Trust service) plus bank holidays (pro rata where applicable)One of the UK's best pension schemesComprehensive health and wellbeing servicesSpecial leave for family and personal reasonsNHS Car Lease SchemeEmployee Assistance ProgrammeOur staff survey results tell a story of highly engaged, motivated, passionate people working at HPFT. The survey has shown that staff overwhelmingly believe that their role makes a difference to service users, to the extent that HPFT had the best score nationally for this question.About usWe are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality CommissionOur family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesTo undertake the most complex assessments and reviews, ensuring this is delivered through the Care Act 2014 eligibility framework.To ensure that commissioned and non-commissioned services allow choice to service users and their carers, promote community-based support and make best use of preventative and universal services.To be a champion of best practice in undertaking carers assessments and supporting the Trusts Carer Pathway.To be skilled in partnership working and identify, develop and facilitate a wide range of recovery focused community services, and ensure that colleagues within the locality are aware of developments in these and best practice.To ensure that service users and carers are involved so that we can learn from their experiences and impact of our service delivery, and make improvements.To undertake other tasks and duties which form part of the delegated social care responsibilities accepted by the Trust on behalf of Hertfordshire County Council.FOR A MORE DETAILED JOB AND PERSON SPECIFICATION PLEASE READ ATTACHED DOCUMENTS BEFORE APPLYINGPerson SpecificationQualificationsEssentialAn appropriate professional social work qualificationRegistration with the SOCIAL WORK ENGLANDEducation to degree level OR equivalentApproved Mental Health Professional training and qualification (or prepared to undertake training within one year of appointment)ExperienceEssentialExtensive post-qualification experience with demonstrable evidence of excellent practice at a high levelExtensive knowledge of legislation, statutory guidance, theory and policy in relation to relevant adult's and children's social careExperience of undertaking assessments, focused on personalisation, choice and control, and care planningExperience of partnership working with service users and carers, demonstrating dignity and respect, particularly in very challenging situationsDisclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Certificate of SponsorshipApplications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).UK RegistrationApplicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).Employer detailsEmployer nameHertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation TrustAddress99 Waverly Road, St Albans99 Waverly RoadSt AlbansAL3 5TLEmployer's websitehttps://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)