This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join the newly developed Forensic Intellectual and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (FIND) Community Team in South London and Maudsley (SLaM).

The FIND Team will provide safe transition for inpatients discharged from the inpatient Forensic Services to the community providing specialist assessment, treatment and consultation to the Forensic Service in order to ensure a smooth, safe and clinically justified pathway to individuals with mental illness, offending history and learning disability with or without neurodevelopmental disorder.

The three forensic services of SLaM, South West London and St Georges( SWLSTG), and Oxleas together comprise the South London Mental Health and Community Partnership (SLP). The SLP’s overarching goals centre on bringing care closer to home, improving patient pathways and outcomes by delivering excellent care in better environments. The SLP has a track record of delivering highly effective, clinically informed service developments in order to better meet the needs of service-users. The FIND provision is one such development and the SLaM FIND Team will therefore work closely with the FIND Teams in each of the other Trusts in order to expedite service-user’s transition through inpatient settings to community provision.

The post holder will provide a highly specialist service to an agreed caseload of service users and their carers, which will include care co-ordination and social supervision. The MDT team is a team of multi professionals with specialist skills and experience with the client group.

The post holder will provide a specialist social work service to the FIND Team. Main duties include:

To work within the FIND Team, taking a lead in delivering and coordinating a social work service to service users and their families/carers.
To ensure that service users are safeguarded from harm, to improve outcomes for service users and family/carers lives and act as a guide and an advocate.
To be an active and vital member of the multi-disciplinary team using knowledge and skills to support and advise colleagues in relation to safeguarding and social care.
To work closely and effectively with a variety of other professional disciplines and external statutory and independent agencies to meet the complex needs of service users and their families/carers within the community setting.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

To maintain a clear understanding of the patients who are placed in secure and specialist services throughout the SLP partnership by acting as a point of contact to attend CPAs, assertively manage discharge pathways and reduce risk of delayed discharge.
To manage a small case load – usually with complex social needs as well as mental health. This will include care planning, implementing or overseeing treatment, reviewing care, communicating with other professionals and agencies involved in the care and attending relevant reviews and meetings as required.
To participate in monitoring and reviewing of patients who are in conditions of medium and low security within the SLP as well as out of area. The post holder will be expected to ensure timely and personalised pathways in the least restrictive care/support settings, in line with the person’s recovery goals whilst building on their strengths.
The post holder must be able to demonstrate their ability to carry out comprehensive social care needs assessments, liaising closely with other health providers, placement providers and other key stakeholders.
To support and develop step down pathways, with personalised packages of care which support and build on people’s strengths, and secure timely discharges.
To work with the Community Care Coordinators to facilitate transfer from out of borough service provision, liaising with local health care and commissioning teams, negotiating between different directorates.
The post holder must be a dedicated, organised and experienced practitioner with previous experience of working in housing management desirable. They must be able to communicate well with a range of people utilising a collaborative approach, and with a strong interest in delivering more personalised outcomes for people with highly complex needs.
The post holder must be adept at prioritising the activities that will provide the most efficient, effective and safe step down or discharge pathway and escalate any conditions that will prevent this from happening
The post holder will be responsible for the development and monitoring of the assigned care pathway quality and improvement plans, alongside the development of project specific policies and procedures with other senior members of the MDT.
The post holder, in conjunction with the management team, will ensure all service systems are embedded and sustainable (this will include audit and evidence based care).
The post holder will be required to undertake advanced social work practice which will be subject to an agreed work plan.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

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