Forensic Discharge Facilitator

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.

As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.

The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.

Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.

For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen to join Secure Services Guild Lodge as a Forensic Discharge Pathway Facilitator (Inpatient Social Worker). The post holder is required to be a qualified Social Worker with Social Work England registration.

This includes early identification of barriers to discharge, taking action to prevent any unnecessary delay to discharges, and facilitating complex multi-agency case discussions in relation to discharge.

Secure Mental Health Care for Lancashire and South Cumbria is provided at Guild Lodge, Whittingham.

• Men's service
• Women's service
• Acquired Brain Injury Service (Men’s)

Caring for adults within Medium and Low Security, and Step Down environments.

Main duties of the job

This post will be suited to a Social Worker with an interest and knowledge of Secure Mental Health and Offender Health.

• Free staff parking
• Onsite restaurant facilities
• Access to newly built housing area with local school
• Our staff receive:
• Full induction and support for those new to the services
• Access to salary sacrifice schemes for cars, electronics etc.
• Interviewer information pack
• Excellent support and Wellbeing services
• Superb external training and development opportunities
• Opportunities to develop leadership skills across differing care environments

Please note: This post is subject to an enhanced DBS Clearance. As part of the pre-employment checks, successful candidates will be required to pay for their own DBS check at a cost of £50. Deductions will be taken from the first 3 months salary.

If you do not have regular access to email/internet please advise.

Working for our organisation

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Social Worker.
• Degree level qualification and or equivalent level of skills, knowledge and experience..
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Knowledge

• A good understanding of the NHS and recent policy drivers for Secure Mental Health and Offender Health and Lead Provider Collaboratives.
• In-depth knowledge of social care issues and how this relates to care delivery.
• Highly developed specialist knowledge across a range of interventions, legal frameworks and assessment methods which are relevant to learning.
• Highly developed knowledge of mental capacity Act, DOLs and restrictive practices.

Skills

• Ability to communicate effectively with professionals, colleagues and other stakeholders both verbally and written.
• The ability to absorb, interpret and manipulate new information quickly.
• Able to work under own Initiative and as managed staff, exercising discretion as to the degree of urgency and importance..

Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.

Personalisation is essential when submitting an application form to convey your skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively.

Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts.

For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

You are advised to consider applying for LSCft vacancies as soon as possible as in some instances vacancies are closed as soon as a sufficient number of applications have been received. If you are not invited to interview within three weeks of the closing date then please assume that on this occasion you have been unsuccessful, as it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful candidates.

LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you’d like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.