Child And Family Practitioner

Job title: Case Worker - Primary Case Holder

Division: Paediatrics and Adolescents

Board/corporate function: Specialist Hospitals Board

Salary band: Band 6

Responsible to: Practice Development manager (Lighthouse)

Accountable to: Operational Manager (Lighthouse)

Hours per week: Fulltime and part-time roles available

Location: The Lighthouse

Job Purpose

An exciting opportunity has arisen for skilled social workers/Independent Sexual Violence Advocates to join the unique multi-agency service at the Lighthouse, as it moves from pilot to business as usual service.

The purpose of this role is to act as primary case holders; taking responsibility for the co-ordination of the child or young person’s journey in the Lighthouse and convening of their support networks.

The primary case holder will the first point of contact for all queries and referrals to the Lighthouse; and will contribute to the triage process and signposting.

They will provide advocacy and support to children and families, in an inter-agency context where activities will be complex and where there is a requirement to take considerable responsibility and work autonomously.

The primary case holder will provide support through the criminal justice process, delivered in line with Home Office guidance on ‘The Role of the Independent Sexual Violence Adviser’. Successful candidates will receive ISVA training if they do not already hold the qualification.

They will be part of the Case Management team, working alongside the Psychological Medicine team, Health team in the Lighthouse and in partnership with Police Liaison Officers and NSPCC practitioners; supporting children in North Central London that have experienced child sexual abuse.

Lighthouse model

The Lighthouse is the first UK Child House, a multi-professional service for CYP who have experienced child sexual abuse and a national leader in the field. The Lighthouse provides a holistic health assessment and medical support, emotional support and therapeutic interventions, advocacy and police interviews led by clinical psychologists. This child-centred concept has had proven success abroad, in particular Iceland, where there is evidence of increased convictions and improved health and well-being of the child/young person.

After a successful pilot, funded by the Home Office, NHS England, Mayor’s office for Police and crime (MOPAC) and Department for Education from 2018 - 2022, the Lighthouse secured recurrent statutory funding from April 2022.  NHS England commission the service which is provided by University College London Hospitals (UCLH) in partnership with NSPCC and Metropolitan Police Service. CYP who live in the five boroughs in North Central London: Camden, Islington, Enfield, Haringey and Barnet can be referred or can self-refer to the service. 

The Lighthouse team

The service is jointly managed by the Lighthouse Operational Manager and the Clinical Lead.  The Lighthouse team includes paediatricians, clinical nurse specialist for  sexual health, case workers, social workers, a team of therapists (including clinical psychologists, psychiatrist, CAMHS practitioners), as well as police liaison officers and access to ‘Letting the Future In’ practitioners (NSPCC) based in Lighthouse.

JOB SUMMARY

The case worker is part of the Practice Development Team  that is comprised of practitioners that are social workers and advocates by background, who will act as case managers and guides for children and young people throughout their time at the Lighthouse. The team is led by a Practice Development Manager, who is responsible for overseeing case management across the Lighthouse services (including case management processes and management of risk issues) as well as providing liaison with local social care teams. The case practitioners will be supported and supervised by the Consultant social worker.

Case workers act as primary case holders; taking responsibility for the co-ordination of the child or young person’s care plan and convening of their support networks. The role involves liaison with internal and external professional networks, parents/carers, and leading on advocating for and supporting the child or young person in relation to the criminal justice system. The case management team also lead on ensuring that robust case management processes are in place across the Lighthouse; for example, in relation to the triage of referrals; prioritisation of casework, assessment processes and case throughput.

The advocacy role is managed and delivered in line with Home Office guidance on ‘The Role of the Independent Sexual Violence Adviser: Essential Elements’ (September 2017). This is particularly important in respect of maintaining strict boundaries when providing support to minimise the possibility of evidential information being shared inappropriately to the extent that it may give rise to a challenge by the defence. Where an advocate provides support through the process of the ABE interview, ongoing support through the criminal justice process will need to be provided by a different advocate. Similarly, where an advocate takes the first account or is involved in initial crisis intervention a different staff member needs to provide ongoing support as the original advocate may have to appear in court as a witness.

Please contact: effi.stergiopoulou@nhs.net (operations manager) with any queries.

Person specification: Please see job description attached for full person specification.