Perinatal Social Worker

Please review attached Job description for more information. To deliver, or support the delivery of, highly specialist evidence-based mental health assessment, care planning, treatment and review for women in the perinatal period. - To provide specialist consultation, advice and support to both CNWL, local Maternity Hospital in-patient and community services on best practice when working with women with mental health needs; at preconception, pregnant women and women with infants up to one year old. - To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex and challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old. - To work in consultation with other professionals making known concerns regarding safeguarding children and/or adults to the appropriate and responsible service. This includes attending Child Protection and Review Conferences as appropriate where the child is at risk because of the mothers mental illness. - To work with colleagues to establish a clear process and criteria for receiving referrals to undertake direct work or information for advice and liaison work. - To assist in setting up structures that allow the dissemination of knowledge and skills regarding working with perinatal women in both in-patient and community services. - To liaise and work with specialist tertiary services such as Mother & Baby Units, personality disorder services, eating disorder services etc. - To work with fathers, partners and significant others to provide appropriate education training and support. - To identify carers and refer/sign post for assessment as appropriate - To work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team exercising autonomous professional responsibility for managing a clinical caseload independently, providing highly specialist assessments and follow-up for women referred with complex problems, which includes assessment of risk in terms of self-harm, self-neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic violence and safeguarding children. - To seek consultation where necessary with clinical supervisor and/or line manager on clinical work and participate in regular supervision. - To be mindful of the needs of women and their families from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious and social backgrounds and to develop, with colleagues, sensitive and innovative ways of meeting these needs. - To ensure that all Trust Perinatal service users have a perinatal care plan, which is implemented. This may require attending and contributing to pre and post-birth meetings, - To work with other professionals insupporting them to implement an agreed parent infant care plan. - To attend the CNWL and out of borough Safeguarding Children multidisciplinary meetings and any other relevant multidisciplinary meetings within Maternity services, as appropriate. - To be responsible for monitoring, recording and reporting on clinical work and communicating highly complex clinical information to a variety of recipients (e.g. patients, families and carers, other professionals) orally and in writing. - To be responsible for developing and maintaining knowledge of local resources and developing excellent working relationships with relevant statutory, voluntary and community groups and organisations.