Mental Health Social Worker

North Somerset Council is dedicated to providing high-quality services to our community. We are committed to creating a fair, green, and more inclusive environment for all our residents. Join us and contribute to making a positive impact on our community.

The Role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a temporary, full time dedicated Social Worker to join our Complex Intervention and Treatment Team (CITT). This is a fixed term post for 12 months and a newly qualified Social Worker would be considered. CITT is an integrated team (North Somerset Council Adult Care and Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS) responsible for the health and social care of older adults with mental health problems.

The postholders will be based within the People and Communities Directorate/AWP, North Somerset Council, working in the Mental Health Team, which is responsible for meeting the health and social care needs of people with a severe enduring mental illness. This involves the provision of advice and information, carrying out assessments of need, preparing Care plans, providing support and a range of personal social services to users and carers.

Working with people with severe mental illness will involve supporting the most vulnerable members of the community, with a range of complex needs, requiring a highly skilled approach in assessing risk, treatment and need. The postholder will engage and work with service users and their carers to achieve the best possible outcome for their future quality of life.

In this role, you will assess, within the relevant legislation, the risk, health and care needs of service users, including carers of individuals, who have a range of mental health problems, planning, implementing and evaluating appropriate action, negotiating for and co-ordinating the application of resources and/or if necessary provision of service.

Key Responsibilities:

• As a Mental Health Social Worker in CITT you will be part of a multi-disciplinary team and responsible for care co-ordinating a caseload of older adults with severe and enduring mental health problems, both functional and organic.
• Undertaking assessments under the Care Act,

and Mental Capacity Act.

• Co-ordinating and providing appropriate interventions, including commissioning care provision.
• To safeguard vulnerable service users; undertaking risk assessment and management plans.

This position is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role.

About You

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about working in secondary mental health care for older adults and who possesses the following skills and experience:

Essential Criteria:

Certificate of Qualification in Social Work or Diploma in Social Work/BSc [Hons] Social Work

• Experience of working with people with serious and enduring mental illness.

• Ability to demonstrate knowledge and experience of at least two social work skill areas.

• Ability to:

• Adapt to unexpected problems and situations.
• Analyse individual and social situations and to describe the interaction of the factors involved.
• c) Make decisions to complex situations sometimes on the basis of uncertain information.
• Communicate effectively on the telephone and write cogent and lucid reports.
• Plan programs of work with service users and evaluate such programs thereafter.
• To bring the team any other skill or quality specified in the advertisement.

Personal skills:

• demonstrate an ability to form and maintain good relationships both with clients and members of other agencies.
• have an understanding of emotions and emotional needs.
• offer warmth, care, firmness and control, when required.
• be flexible accepting disposition
• e) be able to work under conditions of pressure and emotional stress
• f) to be adaptable and able to respond to requests of requirements at short notice
• have the ability to work as a member of a team
• accept the statutory responsibilities of the agency, especially the 1983 mental health act, and use them positively to assist or protect the Service Users or other people.
• must demonstrate abilities in risk assessment and risk management including appropriate risk taking.
• must be able to demonstrate an awareness of procedural and accountability issues within the department
• demonstrate initiative and be self reliant

Knowledge and understanding of the symptoms and effects on the individual of severe and enduring mental illness and of appropriate interventions including medical, psychosocial and therapeutic.

Must be willing to travel widely within North Somerset and outside on occasions also you must be able to work outside normal working hours both on a

planned basis and at short notice

The ability to cope with the duties and responsibilities and with the associated working environment.

Satisfactory enhanced DBS disclosure certificate (relevant applications and checks will be carried out before any job offer is confirmed).

Desirable Criteria:

• A commitment to and a responsibility for personal development and an ability to take advantage of training opportunities

• Experience of working with older adults and with people with severe and enduring mental health problems, both functional and organic.

• Experience of voluntary or paid work involving counselling helping or advising people.

Training in evidence based therapeutic approaches.

Group work experience and skills.

Experience of working with the Care Program Approach and commissioning care packages.

Experience of working in a

multi-disciplinary team

Experience in preparing Mental Health Tribunal reports and attending tribunals

Ability to demonstrate experience and skills which they have accumulated through previous work.

• Ability to contribute to the development of policy and practice.

What We Offer

At North Somerset Council, we value our employees and provide a supportive and inclusive work environment. We offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Flexible working arrangements
• Opportunities for professional development
• Staff groups
• Opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days annual leave each year
• Dedicated Wellbeing Team
• Salary sacrifice cycle to work and Electric vehicle schemes

Further details of our excellent rewards package can be found in our Benefits booklet.

How to Apply

If you share our vision and values and are ready to make an impact to North Somerset, please select the apply button below. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your application by 11.59pm on the application closing date. When completing our online application form, please detail how you meet the essential criteria for the role.

Contact Information:

For further information about the role, please contact Jo Holmes, Integrated Team Manager j.holmes11@nhs.net or Abbie Mines-McDuff, Senior Social Worker a.mines-mcduff@nhs-net on 01275 335300.

Important Information

Interview date: w/c 11th August 2025

We are currently only able to accept applications from candidates who have full permission to work in the UK.

Equal Opportunities

At North Somerset Council we want all our employees to feel valued and appreciated. We aim to ensure equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination irrespective of your sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race, age, disability, including neurodiversity, if you are married or in a civil partnership or are pregnant or currently on maternity leave. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job role.