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Job overview
Senior Social Worker for Adolescents - Maternity Cover (until 24 September 2027)
Join UCLH as a Senior Social Worker for Adolescents and help deliver high-quality, age-appropriate support to young people with complex health, social, emotional and safeguarding needs. Based within our specialist adolescent service, this maternity cover post offers the opportunity to work with a skilled multidisciplinary team in a nationally recognised acute and specialist trust.
You will need strong social work assessment skills, confidence managing risk and safeguarding concerns, and a commitment to improving outcomes for adolescents and their families. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced social worker who is passionate about adolescent health, complex care and collaborative practice
Main duties of the job
You will provide specialist social work input for adolescents aged 13-19 admitted to the unit, including young people arriving via A&E and those with long-term complex conditions. You will undertake timely assessments, contribute to risk management and discharge planning, respond to safeguarding concerns, and work closely with families, ward staff, CAMHS, adult mental health teams, local authorities and community services across the UK.
The role also includes supporting vulnerable young adults, contributing to best interest and multi-agency meetings, maintaining high-quality records, offering expert advice to colleagues, and deputising for the Lead/Consultant Social Worker when required.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*
* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England – for the third year in a row.
UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff – To find out more, visit: Flexible working.
To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?
Person specification
7. Quality
Essential
- a. Understands importance of and own role in Clinical Governance and risk management
- b. Understands importance of quality assurance processes
2. Experience
Essential
- a. A minimum of 2 years post-qualifying experience working with children, young people and families with complex needs including child protection cases
Desirable
- b. Experience of working with young people with long-term health conditions/disabilities
- c. Experience of working with young people with complex emotional/mental health needs
- d. Experience of working with young vulnerable adults
- e. Experience of working as part of a multi disciplinary team
10. Resilience
Essential
- Ability to thrive in a complex & at times emotionally challenging environment and demonstrate resilience
- Ability to work well under pressure and or in times of crisis.
3. Communication
Essential
- b. Demonstrates a high level of consultative, interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills including the ability to deal with complex issues in a sensitive and appropriate manner
- c. Communicates effectively verbally, in writing and in electronic formats
- d. Has ability to create a rapport and build relationships with young people, parents & carers
- e. Communicates with young people and carers in an empathetic manner
- f. Demonstrates understanding of good practice in Customer Care
9.Financial Management
Essential
- Willingness and ability to manage small sums of money from charitable funds
8. Information processing
Essential
- Willingness to work with electronic patient records (EPIC)
Desirable
- Able to perform basic database interrogation as requested
- Able to collate simple datasets and present in a logical format
1. Knowledge & Qualifications
Essential
- a. UK recognised qualification in Social Work
- b. Completed/completing Masters Degree
- c. Registered Social Work England
- d. Knowledge and understanding of child & adolescent development, parenting capacity, environmental factors and risk and protective factors
- e. Knowledge of childcare legislation, statutory guidance and the London safeguarding children Procedures
- f. Knowledge and understanding of a range of social work interventions and methodologies
Desirable
- h. Knowledge & understanding of sickness and disability benefits
4. Assessment & Care Planning
Essential
- a. Ability to gather information quickly and effectively to inform judgement for interventions including in crises
- b. Ability to use assessment frameworks including risk assessments discerningly
- c. Ability to summarise, analyse and evaluate complex information
- d. Ability to make timely, realistic and safe care plans in conjunction with young people, carers, other members of the multidisciplinary team and outside agencies
6. Personal And People Development
Essential
- a. Evidence of Comprehensive and up to date Continuing Professional Development
- b. Reflective in Practice
- c. Expects supervision that covers practice, organisational aspects of the role and the impact of work on self
Desirable
- d. Experience of contributing to training programmes and delivering teaching to colleagues and other agencies
- e. Models the social work role & able to provide expertise and specialist social work advice, guidance and consultation to other staff
5. Liaison and working in partnership with other agencies
Essential
- b. Ability to develop and maintain effective interagency working relationships
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Senior Social Worker for Adolescents with University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London, London, England. It is listed as a Band 7 Healthcare support worker role. The advertised salary is £58,133 - £65,261 Per annum inclusive of HCAS. The contract type is Fixed term: 14 months (Maternity Cover until 24 September 2027). The application deadline is 30 Jul 2026.
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