Social Work Lead

Job overview Highly Specialist CAMHS Social Work Lead – Band 8a

Are you an experienced and passionate Social Worker ready to take the next step into a senior professional leadership role within CAMHS?

We have an exciting opportunity for a Highly Specialist CAMHS Social Work Lead, Band 8a, to join our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services at North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT).

This is a key leadership role within our CAMHS Crisis and Inpatient Pathway, with a particular focus on Brookside inpatient unit and professional and operational leadership across Brookside, YPHTT and Interact.

We are looking for an experienced and confident Social Worker who can provide high-quality specialist social work practice while championing the distinct contribution of social work within multidisciplinary mental health services.

As the Highly Specialist CAMHS Social Work Lead, you will:

• Provide specialist social work assessment, intervention and leadership for children, young people and their families experiencing complex mental health and social care needs.
• Provide professional supervision, support and development to other Social Workers, promoting high-quality, reflective and evidence-based social work practice.
• Ensure effective clinical supervision, appraisal and professional development are embedded within social work practice.
• Provide operational and professional leadership to Social Workers across the CAMHS acute pathway.
• Act as a visible and accessible source of professional social work expertise within multidisciplinary teams.
• Lead on complex social care, safeguarding, risk and discharge planning.
• Work closely with Local Authority Children’s Social Care services across North East London and with other partner agencies.
• Support effective application of relevant legislation, including the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Children Act and Care Act.
• Represent the social care perspective within multidisciplinary decision-making and Mental Health Tribunals where appropriate.
• Support students, newly qualified and developing Social Workers and contribute to the continued development of the social work profession within CAMHS.
• Contribute to service development, transformation, quality improvement and the development of contemporary evidence-based social work practice.

You will work collaboratively with children and young people, families, carers, health colleagues, Local Authorities and wider partners to ensure that social care remains central to assessment, care planning, safeguarding and recovery.

You will be a Social Work England registered Social Worker with significant post-qualifying experience and a strong understanding of statutory social work practice.

We are particularly interested in applicants who can demonstrate:

• Extensive experience of working within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
• Experience at Band 7 or equivalent level and above within an acute mental health environment.
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding children and relevant health and social care legislation.
• Experience of complex risk assessment, care planning and discharge planning.
• Experience of providing professional or clinical supervision to Social Workers.
• Strong leadership skills and the ability to develop, support and influence professional practice.
• Experience of partnership working with Local Authorities and other statutory and voluntary sector organisations.
• Evidence of contributing to service development or transformation within complex environments.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building and decision-making skills.
• A commitment to reflective practice, continuous professional development and high professional standards.

At NELFT, our values are that we are kind, we are respectful, and we work together with our communities, and we are looking for someone who will bring these values to their professional leadership every day.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced CAMHS Social Worker who wants to combine advanced practice with professional leadership and help strengthen the identity, visibility, and impact of social work across our CAMHS acute services.

Interviews for shortlisted…