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Senior Mental Health Practitioner (Band 7)
Band 7
Main area Senior Team Lead / Social Worker Grade Band 7 Contract 6 months (Fixed Term / Secondment) Hours Full time – 37.5 hours per week Job ref 222-SF-737-A
Site St Bernard’s Hospital Town London Salary £55,524 – £62,652 per annum including Outer London HCAS – Pro Rata Salary period Yearly Closing 28/10/2026 23:59
West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.
We also provide some specialistservices that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.
Job overview
This is an exciting opportunity for a Social Worker with experience of, or an interest in, forensic social work.
West London Forensic Service provides inpatient care for adults detained under the Mental Health Act within low and medium secure settings. The service supports recovery while maintaining safety for service users, staff, and the wider community.
This role focuses on providing social work support within a low secure pre-discharge service. Working as part of a well-established multidisciplinary team, you will contribute to safeguarding, statutory responsibilities, carer support, discharge planning, and risk management.
The Trust is also leading an innovative NHS England initiative through the Specialist Community Forensic Team (SCFT), supporting service users to transition successfully from secure settings into the community and improve long-term outcomes and quality of life.
We welcome applications from experienced Social Workers, including those from non-forensic backgrounds who can demonstrate strong transferable skills and a person-centred approach.
You will join a supportive and experienced team, with access to regular supervision, manageable caseloads, and a wide range of professional development opportunities across the Trust.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for applicants for a Senior Mental Health Practitioner committed to working collaboratively with individuals and providers in the community to find positive and safe ways of working with people who use these services.
You will work as part of a service that will improve the lives of forensic mental health service users and their carers. This is a rare chance to be part of shaping a new service, providing opportunities to develop your skills and your career.
At WLNHST we don’t just accept difference we actively celebrate it and support it for the benefit of our staff, our patients and our community. We are proud to be part of an equal opportunity work place.
Working for our organisation
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ over 5,000 staff, of whom 5 9 % are BME. Our turnover for 20 24-25 is over £ 500 m.
The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overallby the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding ’.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experie nce and knowledge required . P lease view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
- Post Qualifying training and development
- Qualification in Social Work with current Social Work England Registration.
Experience / Knowledge and Skills
- The applicant must have a minimum of two years post graduate Social Work experience.
- The applicant must have two years post qualification experience in a mental health setting.
- The applicant must have experience of autonomous working as a social worker.
- Demonstrate an ability to undertake assessments of risk using specific risk assessment tools.
- Demonstrate an ability to formulate implement and evaluate programmes of care for those individuals in the Community Forensic Service and those being referred.
- Demonstrate an ability to use a range of therapeutic interventions with clients who have a range of disorders that will include personality disorder dual diagnosis
- Demonstrate knowledge of actuarial and clinical risk assessment and how this might be applied to the management of clients.
- Demonstrate knowledge of Part 3 of the Mental Health Act and its application to Mentally Disordered Offenders.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the Criminal Justice Act and its implication for the management of Forensic clients.
- Demonstrate an ability to work with a range of organisations including Courts, Police and Probation, ministry of Justice.
- Demonstrate good communication skills, especially listening, empathy, facilitation, persuasion, motivation, negotiation, education, and reassurance.
- Demonstrate ability to lead projects and development of services
- Demonstrate the ability to understand the role of the Community Forensic Service.
- Demonstrate ability for cross cultural working ensuring whatever the cultural background of clients they are treated holistically
- Demonstrate an ability to manage stress and competing demands prioritising appropriately
- Demonstrate skills associated with good documentation.
- An ability to work as part of a team.
- Ability to work in an autonomous manner
- Experience of community forensic working practises
- Demonstrate ability to supervise staff
- Demonstrate ability to lead on projects and audits.
- Demonstrate an ability to teach.
- Demonstrate a good understanding of CPA and its application.
- Demonstrate an ability to communicate complex issues to users and carers.
As an employee of West London NHS Trust, you have a responsibility to maintain a sound understanding of, and a commitment to uphold the National Health Service values and principles set out in the NHS Constitution.
We reserve the right to close adverts prior to the closing date stated should we receive a high volume of applications.
By applying for this post you are agreeing to West London NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment checks which can take between 4-8 weeks . After which your information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system (ESR ).
Please ensure you include email addresses for your referees which MUST be at supervisory or managerial capacity covering the last 3 years of employment to date to avoid delay in the recruitment process.
West London NHS Trust is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
We encourage applicants to personalise their recruitment applications to fully showcase their unique skills, experiences, and achievements. While technology can be a helpful tool, we do not encourage the use of AI-generated content in applications. Relying on AI to generate responses rather than highlighting your own strengths and experiences may negatively impact the success of your application. Please note that all applications will be carefully assessed based on the essential and desirable criteria for the role, and it is crucial that your application and supporting information clearly demonstrate how you meet these requirements
Employer certification / accreditation badges
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
At West London NHS Trust, we want you to support you to build a career you can be proud of and this starts before your first day with us. Our people live our values every day as they deliver, manage and work to improve our services to patients, carers, families and other professionals.
We’re committed to making our recruitment process clear and efficient. It’s in everyone’s interest that we get the very best people on board as soon as we can.
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