Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Social Worker
London
Posted 2 days ago
How your CV stacks up
1Upload CV
2Analyse CV
3Improve CV
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Social Worker
Social Worker – Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit (MBU)
CNWL London Perinatal Service
About the Role
CNWL’s London Perinatal Service delivers specialist mental health support across five boroughs, including:
- Community perinatal mental health services
- Maternity, Trauma, and Loss Care Service
- Coombe Wood Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) – a 10-bed inpatient service for pregnant or postnatal women/birthing people experiencing mental health and emotional challenges, along with their babies (up to 12 months old).
The Unit
- Commissioned by NHS England (NHSE) and referral-friendly across the UK (though admissions typically arise from London and the South East).
- A multi-disciplinary team of doctors, nurses, nursery nurses, therapists, and support staff, offering specialist perinatal mental health treatment, infant care, and bonding support.
The Social Worker’s Role
Working alongside the MDT, the Social Worker (Band 6):
- Supports women/birthing people and new parents in meeting holistic family needs.
- Creates long-term discharge support plans in partnership with community services.
- Advocates for both parents and infants, escalating safeguarding concerns (children and adults).
- Completes safeguarding assessments, liaises with agencies, and ensures adherence to legal frameworks (e.g., Children Act 1989/2004, Mental Health Act 1983).
Core Responsibilities
Direct Support & Case Engagement
- Provide social work assessment, planning, and therapeutic interventions for mothers/birthing people and their families.
- Lead safeguarding consultancy (children and adults) with clinical/nursing safeguarding leads.
- Coordinate discharge planning with community resources, ensuring continuity of care.
- Conduct child safeguarding practice reviews and attend multi-agency meetings.
- Assess and manage domestic abuse risks, working alongside designated safeguarding leads.
- Deliver consultation and support to co-workers on social work best practice in perinatal mental health.
Leadership & Strategic Work
- Champion Child Safeguarding Practices and Family Centred Care in alignment with national/regional policies (e.g., NICE Perinatal Mental Health Guidelines).
- Develop and maintain strong referral networks with community/statutory agencies to support parents and carers.
- Advocate for services/users’ needs, including equality, diversity, and inclusion (encouraging responsive, culturally aware care).
- Engage in performance audits, research projects, and quality improvements (collab. with Perinatal Mental Health Services Lead).
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Professional & Administrative Duties
- Complete case records, risk assessments, and complex social work reports.
- SUPERVISE a Think Family approach, reviewing partners’ welfare plans as part of NHS Long-Term Plan (LTP).
Key Collaborations
- Multi-disciplinary team (doctors, therapists, nursery staff).
- Referral agencies (NHSE-wide) including:
- County Road & Council Social Services.
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
- Domestic Violence Support Services.
- Carers, foster networks, and supportive family contacts.
Trust Values & Standards
Central and North West London NHS Trust expects Band 6 Social Workers to uphold these core values:
- COMPASSION – “Your kindness, empathy, and actions directly improve lives.”
- RESPECT – Fully embrace diversity (race, faith, sexuality, socio-cultural), embracing differences rather than treating them as challenges.
- EMPOWERMENT – Provide service users with knowledge and tools to make informed decisions.
- PARTNERSHIPS – Collaborate with co-commissioners and service users as equal contributors to care (alignment with NHS LTP).
Health & Safety
- Vaccination Policy – Vaccination against COVID-19 and other infectious illnesses is useful to promote safe care environments for patients and staff.
Person Specification
Education & Qualifications
Essential:
- Current practitioner Social Work qualification (DipSW, CQSW, CSS).
- HCPC registration as a practicing social worker.
- Evidenced Post-qualifying training & continued professional development (CPD).
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Desirable:
- Experience in early intervention specialist services (perinatal mental health).
- Training in psychosocial interventions or Thorn Family Therapy methodologies.
- Level of activity in clinical governance, audit, or research initiatives.
Experience
Essential: Minimum 3+ years of post-qualification practice, preferably in:
- Multidisciplinary adult mental health teams.
- Child & Family-focused mental health settings.
- Mental health in perinatal populations.
Desirable:
- Professional history within the perinatal mental health sector.
- Experience supervising students/trainees or junior staff.
- Simulated in audit, performance evaluation, teaching, or substance misuse services.
Skills & Knowledge
Essential:
- Sophisticated verbal/written communication (reports, presentations, safeguarding documentation).
- Risk management expertise across psychosocial hardest cases—suicide risk, parenting vulnerability, domestic abuse.
- In-depth knowledge of key legislations:
- Children Act (1989/2004).
- Mental Health Act (1983).
- Mental Capacity Act (2005).
- Care Act (2014).
- Expertise in boxing in vulnerable/multi-problem families and tailored care planning.
- Understanding systemic oppression and the needs of minority groups (race, sexuality, socioeconomic status).
- Commitment to evidence-based psychosocial practices.
- Functional proficiency in IT tools (cautionary record-keeping using a range of platforms).
Desirable:
- Team leadership and stakeholder management skills—capacity to establish rapport while motivating children, mothers, and carers.
- Basic child therapy/counseling skills (evidence of self or collaborative sessions).
- Experience in COMBINED clients with multi-diagnoses (e.g., mental health + substance use disorders).
Other
Essential:
- Understanding and actions aligned with Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy.
Desirable:
- Driving license (Class B), minimising travel impact when accessing rural/urban assessments.
Trusted by 25,000+ job seekers
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Social Work
Mental Health
Safeguarding
Assessment
Planning
Therapeutic Interventions
Communication
Risk Assessment
Collaboration
Cultural Awareness
Empowerment
Advocacy
Child Protection
Family Support
Recovery
Diversity
Location