Mental Health Social Worker

Human Resources & Development - Form 35a Version 16 - Issued June 2026 JOB DESCRIPTION AND PARTICULARS OF APPOINTMENT ▪ Job Title: Mental Health Social Worker ▪ Post Number: To be confirmed ▪ Grade and SCP: Band 11 SCP 29 (+2 for AMHP status) ▪ Directorate: People Where your role fits at Shropshire Council At Shropshire our priority is to be a 'best value' authority that delivers, enables, and influences for Shropshire and its residents by:  • Being financially stable and sustainable  • Having clear priorities and purpose  • Supporting and enabling our workforce to excel  Recognising the challenge across local government today.  This starts with our Improvement Plan to address immediate challenges, while ensuring a focus on the future and how the Council will need to look, feel, and operate to best serve the needs of the county and its residents, and being aware of changes in national policy.     Our Shropshire values: PROUD  • Partnerships   • Respect   • Opportunities   • Understanding   • can Do   Aim to unify the workforce, support transformation, improve trust, and build a modern, sustainable Council. As a member of the Mental Health Social Work Team within Adult Services, you will support the achievement of these key priorities, making a real difference to the lives of people in Shropshire. The service is responsible for the provision of a range of services based on the over-riding principle that older people, people with a physical disability or mental health needs, and adults with learning disabilities are entitled to the same dignity and respect, and to the same range and quality of services that are available to other citizens. They can also access services which are designed to meet their assessed care needs. The aim is to promote the development and independence in a personalised way so the citizens of Shropshire can make an active contribution to their communities, maintain their health and wellbeing and are able to remain living independently in their own homes Overview of your role The post holder is directly accountable to your Senior Social Worker who is in turn accountable to the Mental Health Social Work Team Manager. Duties will involve contact with staff throughout the Council, customers, carers and with staff of other agencies, including statutory and voluntary services. You will carry out your work to the standards set in the relevant professional and national occupational standards. 1. To carry out duties relating to the local authority statutory requirements under the Care Act (2014) and Mental Health Act (2007) and Mental Capacity Act (2005) 2. To manage a caseload of people with complex mental health needs. 3. To deliver interventions to individuals and carers as part of an integrated team and in partnership with health colleagues. Who will your manager be and what will you be responsible for? You will be: ▪ reporting to the Senior Social Worker, who is in turn responsible for your health and safety, training and development. ▪ Expected to maintain & build relations with both internal and external partners in order to achieve specified outcomes. What will you be doing? Undertake Approved Mental Health Practitioner duties, participating in the Shropshire AMHP rota. If not yet qualified as an AMHP, to demonstrate the willingness to train as an AMHP as soon as practicable and to participate on the rota once qualified. You will be invited to express an interest in going forward to access the training. This does not necessarily mean you will be put forward immediately, this will depend upon your readiness. Provision of AMHP duties under the Mental Health Act either as the AMHP on duty or as a resource to the integrated team Examples of the duties required: • Provision of Mental Health Tribunal reports • Agree, if appropriate, to the making of a Community Treatment Order (CT), extension of CTO, conditions to be included in a CTO, revocation of a CTO • 135 (1) application for a warrant • Carry out the role of social supervisor • Displacement or appointment of Nearest Relative • Request for independent Mental Health Advocate Provide Interventions under the Care Act to offer early help and advice and if required determine eligibility for funded support for individuals Provide Leadership and skill in complex situations and in complex case management Provide advice and information to service users, their families and other professionals Ensure the provision of advocacy to service users and carers where required Provide implement, review and monitor funded packages of care Manage a caseload for people with complex mental health problems and to act as care co-ordinator for a number of service users. Assess the risk to individuals of harm and abuse and act proportionately on any identified risk. Undertake effective, comprehensive assessments of service users Record and document all interventions, using relevant IT systems Follow identify, assess and follow safeguarding procedures for adults and children Take an active part in supervision and development reviews, identifying professional and personal needs and agreeing an action plan to fulfil them. Demonstrate an understanding and awareness of issues related to equal opportunities and anti discrimination and ensure these are reflected in practice Act as a specialist resource to other members of the Team; providing advice and guidance in respect of the day-to-day delivery of social work services. Contribute to the team team's duty and assessment rota. Identify and address gaps in knowledge, maintaining continuous personal professional development in line with HCPC guidelines and local policy. Develop a comprehensive knowledge of local resources to ensure the service users and carers are fully informed of the choices available to them. Work in partnership with other agencies as appropriate, liaising and recording communications in line with local policy. Demonstrate an awareness of and commitment to the principles of equal opportunities, confidentiality, anti-oppressive practice and anti-discriminatory practice. Comply with safe systems of work in accordance with the Department's Health, Safety and Welfare policies and procedures. To take a responsibility for health and safety issues in the absence of the Area Manager or within his/her direction. What we expect of you You will: ▪ adopt a customer focused approach when delivering your service, ensuring engagement with service users and maintenance of an appropriate personal profile, ▪ act as an advocate for your service and work collaboratively with colleagues across the whole Council to meet the needs of the people of Shropshire, ▪ meet individual, service and personal development targets agreed through the Personal Development Review Process, learn from experience and are committed to continuous improvement individually and as an employee of the Council, ▪ work with colleagues to meet your team's key performance indicators, support a culture of team working and ensure the team functions successfully in support of the Council's corporate and service objectives. ▪ meet the behaviours and competencies adopted by the Council in the way in which they achieve their objectives and carry out their work. What are your conditions of Service The conditions of service are those laid down by Shropshire Council, which have been adopted and amended as necessary from those laid down by the National Joint Council for Local Government Services. Your primary work base will be in the South of the County based at Bridgnorth Medical Centre and at the Central base for the Mental Health Social Work Team at The Lantern in Shrewsbury with the flexibility of working from home where appropriate. Your post is subject to the following: ▪ The post is Permanent, for 37 hours per week, ▪ Normal office hours are within 7am to 7pm Monday - Friday and with a minimum lunch break of 30 minutes. Occasional evening work may be required, ▪ The post is subject to the Council's annualised hours scheme as implemented within the specific work area. Annual leave entitlement is a pro rata flat rate scheme of 207 hours (28 days) annual leave plus bank holidays, with five days extra awarded to those staff with five years local government service giving an entitlement of 244 hours (33 days). Two days of an employee's allowance (pro rota for part time staff) must be taken at Christmas for any potential Christmas closures. Employees who work in a building/service which is required to open over the Christmas period, the two days leave (pro rota) can be carried over into your next leave year but must be used by the end of March. The appointment is subject to two months' notice in writing on either side. The appointment is subject to six months' satisfactory probationary service during which time the notice period will be one week on either side. Smoking is not allowed in Council buildings, in Council vehicles or in any Council place of work. It is a condition of your appointment that you provide a suitable vehicle for the performance of your duties and that this is readily available for use during normal working hours. You are entitled to claim for reimbursement of the costs of travel on council business at the rate of 55 pence per mile. What pre-employment checks will we undertake? The appointment is subject to receipt of the following pre-employment checks; 1. Satisfactory employment references, 2. Medical report, 3. Evidence of the qualifications required for the post/listed on your application form, This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such all applicants who are appointed to this post will be subject to an Enhanced ...