📍 Location: St Bernard’s Hospital, Southall UB1 3HW
💰 Salary: £42,939 to £50,697 per annum (inclusive of HCAS)
🕐 Contract Type: Permanent | Working Hours: Full-Time
🗓️ Closing Date: 17 April 2025
📌 Reference Number: 222-SF-608
👥 Apply Now and Make a Difference in Forensic Mental Health Care
🔍 About the Role
West London NHS Trust is excited to offer an exceptional opportunity for a qualified and experienced Forensic Social Worker to join our expanding Specialist Community Forensic Team. This role is ideal for social work professionals who are passionate about transforming lives, reducing health inequalities, and enabling individuals with complex forensic and mental health needs to reintegrate safely into their communities.
❗ Please note: This position is not suitable for Newly Qualified Social Workers seeking to complete their ASYE (Assessed and Supported Year in Employment).
This role involves working collaboratively across multidisciplinary and multi-agency settings to support patients who are transitioning from secure mental health units to independent or supported living arrangements. You will be a key figure in delivering person-centred recovery pathways that balance risk, safety, empowerment, and social reintegration.
🌟 Why Join West London NHS Trust?
West London NHS Trust is one of the largest, most respected, and diverse providers of mental health, community, and social care services in the UK. We are a nationally recognised leader in forensic mental healthcare, and our Forensic Services were recently rated “Outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
We proudly serve over 800,000 people across Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, and Hounslow, offering a wide range of care in hospitals, the community, and secure settings. Our 3,982 staff members are committed to promoting recovery, wellbeing, and dignity for every individual.
By joining us, you will:
Be part of an innovative, high-performing, and supportive team
Work in a Trust that embraces equality, diversity, and inclusion
Shape a pioneering new service commissioned by NHS England
Gain access to career development opportunities and specialist training
Help implement a whole-system transformation model of forensic community care
👩⚕️ Key Responsibilities
As a Forensic Social Worker in this groundbreaking service, you will:
Act as a Social Supervisor for individuals under forensic sections of the Mental Health Act.
Coordinate multi-agency care plans, ensuring continuity and quality of support post-discharge from secure settings.
Facilitate and lead on risk assessments, including HCR-20 and risk formulation models.
Participate in and contribute to MAPPA (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements) processes.
Provide detailed social circumstance reports for Mental Health Tribunals and Hospital Managers’ Hearings.
Offer family and carer support, including assessments under the Care Act 2014.
Identify and engage Responsible Local Authorities and ensure Section 117 aftercare provisions are in place.
Foster strong links with housing, criminal justice agencies, social care teams, and other stakeholders.
Uphold the highest standards of safeguarding, patient confidentiality, and professional ethics.
✅ Person Specification
🧾 Qualifications & Registration (Essential):
Social Work degree (BA, BSc, MA, DipSW or CQSW)
Registered with Social Work England
Evidence of continuing professional development
✅ Desirable:
Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
Best Interests Assessor (BIA)
Training in group work, substance misuse, offence-related interventions, or family therapy
💼 Experience Requirements
✅ Essential:
Proven experience working with individuals with mental health conditions
Solid understanding of safeguarding procedures for adults and children
Skilled in risk assessment and care planning
Experience of multidisciplinary team working
Ability to present reports to formal legal and clinical forums
Experience working with carers and support networks
✅ Desirable:
Experience in forensic mental health settings
Experience working with offenders or individuals with personality disorders
Exposure to service users with dual diagnosis or autism spectrum disorders
📚 Knowledge & Skills
✅ Essential:
In-depth knowledge of relevant legislation:
Mental Health Act (1983 & 2007 amendments)
Care Act 2014
Mental Capacity Act 2005
Human Rights Act
Criminal justice and public protection legislation (e.g. MAPPA, Victim Liaison)
Ability to navigate complex legal and ethical situations
Clear written and verbal communication skills, adaptable to varied audiences
Competency in using digital care records and Microsoft Office
✅ Desirable:
Understanding of working with people with a forensic history and personality disorders
Group facilitation or therapeutic skills
🧬 Personal Attributes
Highly analytical with sound professional judgment
Ability to handle complex emotional and interpersonal situations
Organized and efficient, capable of managing a demanding caseload
Passionate about mental health recovery, social justice, and service user empowerment
🌍 Diversity and Inclusion
At West London NHS Trust, we actively celebrate and support diversity. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with lived experience of mental illness. Our commitment to inclusion, equality, and anti-discrimination underpins all we do.
🔐 Additional Requirements
This role is subject to Enhanced DBS Clearance under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975.
Overseas applicants may be required to submit criminal records checks from countries of previous residence.
Certificate of Sponsorship for Skilled Worker Visa may be available for eligible candidates.
📧 Contact Details
Hiring Manager: Eloise Ball
📨 Email: eloise.ball@nhs.net
🌐 Trust Website
📌 Apply Now
Ready to help shape the future of forensic community care? Click below to apply for this life-changing opportunity.
