Social Worker

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Job summary

BSL Version – https://youtu.be/bOSU0SAGjyk

The National Deaf Adult Services based at Springfield Hospital are looking for an experienced social worker. The role will be at Band 7 AfC , five days a week, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

It is desirable that applicants are either native BSL sign language users or have a fluency in British sign language or have a minimum of a BSL certified qualification at Level 3 in BSL together with a clear experience and understanding of deaf cultural issues and a background in working with or as part of a Team who has experience working with deaf clients and professionals.

You must have a registered qualification in social work and it would be desirable if you also had qualification or experiences in mental health social working.

Our service is a national tertiary/third tier service across the south of England . We liaise with a wide range of services within the secondary care, social and charitable sectors.

The Community Services role is collaborative and to educate, guide, signpost and support local services in the assessment and treatment options for deaf adults. We do not lead on care and the expectation is for the secondary care services to lead.

The Inpatient Services role is to assess and treat Deaf adults who present with severe mental illness which can be co-morbid with cognitive and neurological deficits, learning difficulties, emotional and behavioural dysregulation, language deprivation and associated traumas.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

Provide expert social care advice to colleagues within the inpatient and community services and with external services including CMHT secondary care, social services and external inpatient services

Undertake initial assessments as required as part of the referral and assessment process for the Service

To act as Duty manager on a rotational basis to manage incoming enquiries and referrals to the service including advice and signposting as required.

Represent the Teams in relevant external forums

Engage with external mental health services and social service providers to develop strong and supportive collaboration in facilitating the social care needs of the deaf client.

To hold a small caseload and to act as an identified Heal Care Professional for this caseload

To provide advice and guidance to local services around communication and the specific needs of the deaf client

To engage in professional supervision with the Head of Social work, managerial supervision with the Community team manager and facilitate supervision of more junior social workers as required by the Head of Social work.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable post qualification experience in a social work setting
  • Experience of working within Adult Mental health services
  • Experience of working within a multi disciplinary team working
  • Experience of completing risk assessments and the management of risk
  • Experience of adult and/or child safeguarding management

Desirable

  • Experience supporting adults through mental health and social care services Working with people from ethnically diverse backgrounds and anti discriminatory/equal opportunity practice
  • Experience at providing training, educational opportunities to service users and other professional groups Experience of deafness, working with deaf people
  • Experience of deaf culture and its history, values and communities

Training & Qualifications

Essential

  • A recognized social work qualification or equivalent – CQSW and Degree in social work or DIPSW
  • Current registration on the SWE register
  • Evidence of post qualification training and development in a relevant area of study including any posy qualification formal study such as Diploma or Masters
  • British Sign Language (BSL) up to Level 2 or a willingness to achieve this within two years of employment.

Desirable

  • Completion of post qualification award or diploma of advanced award in social work
  • Practice Teaching/Mentoring qualification

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

  • An understanding and utility of Mental Health Act 1983 Mental Capacity Act 2005 Care Act 2014
  • Skills in risk assessment and management In-depth knowledge of safeguarding in both adult and child services
  • Experience of working with CPA and discharge planning
  • Awareness of Adult mental health policies and national guidelines in relation to Deaf people

Desirable

  • Evidence of policy development
  • Experiences working in group situations
  • Experience working in interpreting situations and with BSL interpreters

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This 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 Sponsorship

Applications 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 Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Closing Date: 31 July 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.