Social Worker - Mental Health Social Work Discharge Team DORS - Horsham
| Posting date: | 25 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £35 per hour |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 24 August 2025 |
| Location: | Horsham, West Sussex |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | Nations Recruitment |
| Job type: | Contract |
| Job reference: |
Summary
Job Category : Social Care - Qualified
Location : County Hall, Chichester, West Sussex County Council
Hours Per Week : 18.50
Start Date: Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:30
Payrate : £35.
We are bound by the MoC, which means pay rates are capped. Whist we are able to pay up to £38, this rate is for those deemed to be at a qualified Social Worker with at least 2 years experience Please ensure your candidates are aware that the pay rate they request may not be the rate they are offered; managers are assessing skills and competency at interview. If the candidate is being offered less than requested, we will make the reasoning clear whilst providing feedback.
*We can offer £35 ph plus £150 pw expenses if the candidate lives outside West Sussex ( This will need to be confirmed if submitting at this rate ) *
Working arrangements - Mix of both - office based 3 days a week and the rest from home Location - County Hall North - Horsham but the team covers Countywide
Job Description:
In this challenging but rewarding role, you will work as part of a strong and dynamic social work service. You will be required to act as an allocated social worker, responsible for delivering a statutory social work service to those people who access or need specialist mental health services and will support their discharge from hospital.
You will work in partnership with the newly formed mental health hospital discharge hub, including completion of all statutory work such as Care Act assessments, s117 aftercare planning meetings, safeguarding, Mental Capacity Assessments, Best Interest Meetings as well as any other social care related tasks and functions.
This will be a fast-paced role, and you will be required to be proactive and able to work under pressure to ensure all aspects of the individual’s needs are considered and incorporated into the discharge process. You will work as part of a small county-wide team which will focus solely on the discharge role. The workers within this team will be aligned to geographically based mental health hospitals, providing a service to people who are aged 18 and over.
You will act as a professional representative for the service by working with a focus on ensuring the safe and effective delivery of services to people who have complex mental disorder, acting with integrity, professionalism, and respect on behalf of the organisation, ensuring at all times that the needs of individuals and the business are paramount.
You’ll need to be able to travel independently throughout the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport, so a driving licence is preferred. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.
Key Skills:
1. Ability to analyse and interpret people related information and data in order
to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision.
2. Ability to undertake direct work with those who access or need the service in
order to support individuals. Ability to work in partnership with carers,
colleagues and a variety of external agencies in order to deliver the most
effective service.
Job Description & Person Specification
3. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a
range of stakeholders to provide clear advice, guidance and interventions,
able to clearly explain complicated information and to persuade others to
adopt a particular course of action.
4. Ability to provide informal supervision and develop the capabilities of less
experienced social care practitioners, and to mentor and coach students and
apprentices.
5. Ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, know
when to seek appropriate support, advice and supervision, and to prioritise
and organise work and meet agreed performance expectations.
6. Sound and accurate IT skills to ensure effective record keeping, compliant
with data protection and respecting confidentiality.
Qualifications and/or experience:
• Degree in Social Work or a recognised equivalent Social Work qualification,
e.g. Diploma in Social Work.
• Registered with the relevant professional registration body and responsibility
for maintaining registration with that body.
• Approved Mental Health Practitioner (it is required to have AMHP
qualification, or to be working towards the qualification to be complete within
2 years of appointment and to maintain that knowledge).
• Experience of undertaking assessments and social work intervention
planning, implementation and review by means of creative and pragmatic
solutions.
• Experience of working in partnership with those who access the service and
maintaining a focus on the needs and strengths of the people, and the
outcomes they want to achieve, whilst handling conflict and disagreement.
• Experience of working proactively as a member of the team to make an
accurate strengths-based assessment of needs and negotiate and implement
effective plans and outcomes (in line with relevant legislation), working in
partnership with carers, colleagues and a variety of external agencies
(health, housing, learning, statutory, voluntary and independent sector) to
meet people’s outcomes.
• Experience of applying a risk enablement approach and using evidence-based
practice.
• Experience of analysis and interpretation of people related information and
data to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service
provision.
• Experience of contributing to or undertaking safeguarding enquiries.
• Good, up-to-date working knowledge of relevant legislation,
• Valid, full driving licence - Desirable
Location : County Hall, Chichester, West Sussex County Council
Hours Per Week : 18.50
Start Date: Immediate Start
Start Time : 09:00
End Time : 17:30
Payrate : £35.
We are bound by the MoC, which means pay rates are capped. Whist we are able to pay up to £38, this rate is for those deemed to be at a qualified Social Worker with at least 2 years experience Please ensure your candidates are aware that the pay rate they request may not be the rate they are offered; managers are assessing skills and competency at interview. If the candidate is being offered less than requested, we will make the reasoning clear whilst providing feedback.
*We can offer £35 ph plus £150 pw expenses if the candidate lives outside West Sussex ( This will need to be confirmed if submitting at this rate ) *
Working arrangements - Mix of both - office based 3 days a week and the rest from home Location - County Hall North - Horsham but the team covers Countywide
Job Description:
In this challenging but rewarding role, you will work as part of a strong and dynamic social work service. You will be required to act as an allocated social worker, responsible for delivering a statutory social work service to those people who access or need specialist mental health services and will support their discharge from hospital.
You will work in partnership with the newly formed mental health hospital discharge hub, including completion of all statutory work such as Care Act assessments, s117 aftercare planning meetings, safeguarding, Mental Capacity Assessments, Best Interest Meetings as well as any other social care related tasks and functions.
This will be a fast-paced role, and you will be required to be proactive and able to work under pressure to ensure all aspects of the individual’s needs are considered and incorporated into the discharge process. You will work as part of a small county-wide team which will focus solely on the discharge role. The workers within this team will be aligned to geographically based mental health hospitals, providing a service to people who are aged 18 and over.
You will act as a professional representative for the service by working with a focus on ensuring the safe and effective delivery of services to people who have complex mental disorder, acting with integrity, professionalism, and respect on behalf of the organisation, ensuring at all times that the needs of individuals and the business are paramount.
You’ll need to be able to travel independently throughout the county, including to areas that may not be easily accessible by public transport, so a driving licence is preferred. There is a regular and intrinsic requirement to communicate in English with members of the public.
Key Skills:
1. Ability to analyse and interpret people related information and data in order
to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service provision.
2. Ability to undertake direct work with those who access or need the service in
order to support individuals. Ability to work in partnership with carers,
colleagues and a variety of external agencies in order to deliver the most
effective service.
Job Description & Person Specification
3. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a
range of stakeholders to provide clear advice, guidance and interventions,
able to clearly explain complicated information and to persuade others to
adopt a particular course of action.
4. Ability to provide informal supervision and develop the capabilities of less
experienced social care practitioners, and to mentor and coach students and
apprentices.
5. Ability to recognise the limits of own accountability and responsibility, know
when to seek appropriate support, advice and supervision, and to prioritise
and organise work and meet agreed performance expectations.
6. Sound and accurate IT skills to ensure effective record keeping, compliant
with data protection and respecting confidentiality.
Qualifications and/or experience:
• Degree in Social Work or a recognised equivalent Social Work qualification,
e.g. Diploma in Social Work.
• Registered with the relevant professional registration body and responsibility
for maintaining registration with that body.
• Approved Mental Health Practitioner (it is required to have AMHP
qualification, or to be working towards the qualification to be complete within
2 years of appointment and to maintain that knowledge).
• Experience of undertaking assessments and social work intervention
planning, implementation and review by means of creative and pragmatic
solutions.
• Experience of working in partnership with those who access the service and
maintaining a focus on the needs and strengths of the people, and the
outcomes they want to achieve, whilst handling conflict and disagreement.
• Experience of working proactively as a member of the team to make an
accurate strengths-based assessment of needs and negotiate and implement
effective plans and outcomes (in line with relevant legislation), working in
partnership with carers, colleagues and a variety of external agencies
(health, housing, learning, statutory, voluntary and independent sector) to
meet people’s outcomes.
• Experience of applying a risk enablement approach and using evidence-based
practice.
• Experience of analysis and interpretation of people related information and
data to prioritise needs and formulate plans for intervention and service
provision.
• Experience of contributing to or undertaking safeguarding enquiries.
• Good, up-to-date working knowledge of relevant legislation,
• Valid, full driving licence - Desirable