We are recruiting for a Mental Health Social Worker to join our Isle of Dogs Neighborhood Mental Health Team.

If you are passionate about supporting adults experiencing mental health difficulties, committed to achieving positive outcomes, and bring your experience in the filed, we would love to hear from you.

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE JOB
• To provide a professional social work service to adults, their families and carers in line within the requirements of the Care Act 2014 and the focus of the promoting wellbeing and identifying significant impact.
• To comply with the statutory requirements of the relevant childcare, mental health legislation, identifying, responding to, managing and evaluating risk as appropriate considering and applying the Mental Capacity Act 2005
• The role holder will assist individuals, carers and families by completing strength based assessments which support the identification of individual, personal network, community strengths and universal services. Applying robust and evidence based eligibility decision making and promoting best value.
• To develop support plans which meet personalised outcomes. Take a preventative approach to all intervention that maximises the opportunities to reduce and delay needs and provide sufficient advice and information to support
informed decision making, including via the arrangement of advocacy as appropriate. Intervention is to be holistic, looking at the whole person and all relevant professionals around them as to work in an integrated way.
• To undertake safeguarding enquiries in line with legislation, statutory guidance and good practice approaches with a focus on making safeguarding personal to ensure that the adult is at the centre of the process.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Carry out responsibilities under mental health legislation and regulations including, where applicable, Approved Mental Health Professional duties. Have effective liaison and working relationships with mental health agencies and service providers. Attend case conferences, case meetings and team meetings as required. Participate in office duty arrangements and on-call arrangements.
2. Develop and implement plans aimed at resettling people with severe mental illness
Promotes independence and autonomy
3. Uses a strength based, person centred approach, developing creative and personalised solutions to assist people to manage their lives independently for as long as possible, ensuring agreed outcomes are met. Encourage the use of direct payments as an option wherever possible
4. Promotes independence and community wellbeing, choice and control and uses self-directed support flexibly. Take a preventative approach to interventions, maximising use of appropriate resources including Reablement, equipment, adaptations, assistive technology and advice and information. Undertakes trusted assessment/provision functions to promote independence and, where appropriate, offer access to standard equipment, which may involve the issuing of an equipment prescription (for redemption via a retail outlet) and delivery/fitting.
5. Ensure those accessing the service, including families and carers, are at the centre of decision making over their support arrangements and that opportunities and capacity for choice and control are optimised and reflected in their assessments and reviews. Actively engage with, assist and provide advice to carers, conducting carers assessments when appropriate, to enable them to sustain their caring role
6. Develop and maintain effective working relationships with the Brokerage team, Initial Assessment and Shorter Term Support Services to ensure the smooth transition of clients through the pathway and directorate. Initiate and develop joint working with health related agencies (including GPs and Intermediate care), the third sector, local housing providers and other agencies, in order to facilitate co-ordinated, high quality outcomes for people needing support.
7. To ensure that people, including those who do not meet the Council’s eligibility criteria, have access to information, advice, and signposting to
universal and preventative services which promote their health and wellbeing.
Ensures effective safeguarding and risk management
8. To make ongoing assessments of need of service users allocated, including assessment of risk, with the objective of minimising risk and harm to service users and carers and seeking to achieve maximum independence possible.
9. Undertakes safeguarding enquiries, providing expert knowledge of safeguarding processes, practice, policy and case law where appropriate. Lead on cases where a safeguarding concern has been identified and utilise the council’s policies and procedures. Seeks the direction of a manager dependent on experience.
10. To ensure statements for court and reports for case conferences, panels and reviews are prepared and presented to a high standard, within allocated timescales and evidence the involvement of adults, families and carers. This could include mental health review tribunals, court etc.
Casework Management
11. Manage a complex and diverse caseload within the parameters of the Directorate’s agreed policies and procedures, in order to promote personalisation. Maintain the Directorate’s records by recording assessments and other data accordingly ensuring that all data entered meets the relevant and stated levels of accuracy, quality and timeliness required.
12. To respond to safeguarding, complaints and routine enquiries and provide detailed and professional responses in accordance with relevant standards and time frames.
Other responsibilities commensurate with the level of the role
13. To value and celebrate the diversity of the community and organisation through personal example, open commitment and clear action and promote equality of opportunity in service delivery.
14. To attend and contribute to one to one supervision and appraisal sessions with the Practice Manager or Team Manager, and ensure that they are informed of any circumstances requiring management oversight including issues around risk, mental capacity and safeguarding practices.
15. In order to deliver flexibility of staff movement and facilitate optimal service delivery, the postholder will be able to, and may be required to, transfer to other equal Social Worker posts within Adult Social Care operational services area.

General Terms
• To maintain personal and professional development to meet the changing demands of the job and participate in appropriate training/development activities including the council’s performance, development and review scheme.
• Ensure that all duties and responsibilities are discharged in accordance with the council’s policies and procedures, Code of Conduct and relevant regulations and legislation. To comply with the council’s equal opportunities and diversity policies ensuring anti-discriminatory practice within the service area.
• To undertake additional duties that may arise from time to time commensurate with the grade of the post.

Our Benefits

Competitive salary plus allowances (if applicable).
Local Government Pension Scheme membership.
Generous annual leave: 29 days, rising to 33 with 5+ years’ service, plus bank holidays and 3 additional days at Christmas
Staff money-saving schemes (e.g., rent deposit loans, season ticket loans).
Learning and development opportunities through our Learning Academy, with clear career development and leadership pathways.

Tower Hamlets is a truly unique borough at the heart of London – a place where history and innovation sit side by side. From the docks and markets that shaped the East End to the global business hub of Canary Wharf, we are proud to be one of the most dynamic, diverse, and ambitious communities in the UK. We are also one of the fastest growing and youngest boroughs in the country, offering unrivalled opportunities to make a real difference to people’s lives. Our residents are energetic, creative, and resilient, and our council is committed to delivering the best possible services and opportunities for them.

Our award-winning new Town Hall in Whitechapel provides a modern, flexible workplace for our staff, right at the heart of the borough and directly opposite Whitechapel Tube and Elizabeth line station. It is more than just a workplace – it’s a hub for collaboration, innovation and community, designed to bring out the best in our people.

As an employer, we put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of everything we do. Our active Employee Network Groups celebrate and champion our workforce, helping to ensure that everyone feels a sense of belonging. Guided by our TOWER values – Together, Open, Willing, Excellent and Respect – we are building a positive, inclusive culture where colleagues can thrive.

At Tower Hamlets Council, you’ll find exciting challenges, supportive colleagues, and the chance to shape one of London’s most important and vibrant places. If you’re looking for a role where you can see the impact of your work every day, then Tower Hamlets is the place for you.