Perinatal Social Worker

It is an extraordinary time for specialist perinatal mental health services across the UK with growing national and local focus on service development and expanding access for new and expectant mums. The national ambition is to improve outcomes for an increasing number women over the next 5 years through investment in resources and broadening of interventions available. The perinatal period includes from conception up until one year following the birth of the baby and is a critical time for prevention and treatment for women at risk of serious mental ill health. providing a unique opportunity for intervention and change, improving outcomes for mums, their families and ultimately society, in the longer term.
The Essex Perinatal Mental Health Service has successfully established a specialist service in the community over the last 3 years and we are again expanding further to meet the needs of more women across Essex. This is an exciting opportunity for professional Social Workers to join our dedicated and growing team and our organisation. Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) is committed to developing and retaining its Social Workers. We are a partner with Think Ahead, one of the UK’s most competitive graduate schemes, which provides a new route into mental health social work, in addition Social Workers are supported by an effective Social Care Leadership team ensuring robust supervision and professional development.

• To deliver, or support the delivery of, highly specialist evidence-based mental health assessment, care planning, treatment and review for women in the perinatal period. Applying an understanding of the effects of multiple, enduring and complex mental health needs on occupational performance within a parenting role; while also dealing with service users or carers with potentially severe challenging behaviour.
• To provide specialist consultation, advice and support to the local acute hospital and community services on best practice when working with women with mental health needs; at preconception, pregnant women with infants up to one year old.
• To carry out mental health risk assessments for a caseload of service users and offer regular monitoring of mental state, in the individual’s own home, (an environment that may expose individuals to contact with body fluids, odours, dust, dirt, or verbal aggression), and other community venues, potentially assisting service users with physical disabilities.
• To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex and challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old.
• To work in consultation with other professionals making known concerns regarding safeguarding children and/or adults to the appropriate and responsible service.

For further detail please view the job description
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.
The Essex Perinatal Mental Health Service operates from five hubs across Essex the hubs are situated around the 5 acute hospitals. The bases are in the areas of Rochford, Laindon, Harlow, Chelmsford and Colchester and provide specialist assessment, intervention for women at risk of moderate to serious mental illness or complex disorders within the county of Essex. The successful candidate will be based at a base and work from either the North or South facing Essex service providing specialist social work support to the team, holding a Social Worker caseload for women and their families in the perinatal period of conception up until one year following the birth of the baby.
This is a wonderful development opportunity for experienced Social Workers interested in perinatal mental health and wishing to develop specialist knowledge and practice in this rewarding field. We significantly invest in our Social Workers to foster expertise in our team providing specialist training packages and development opportunities in line with emerging evidence and standards for parental mental illness. Successful candidates will demonstrate knowledge and interest in mental health or child safeguarding during the perinatal period together with sound knowledge of child and adult safeguarding practice. Good communication, collaborative partnership working, time management and planning skills are essential. Some previous experience of working with this group would be an advantage.
For further detail please view the job description & Person specification