Job summary
- Main area
- Social Work Assistant
- Grade
- Band 3
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 186-480-26-FS
- Employer
- Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Rampton Hospital
- Town
- Retford
- Salary
- £25,760 - £27,476 per annum (pro rata for part time) + High Secure Allowance £3,000
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/07/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Social Work Assistant
Band 3
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Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 3 Social Work Assistant to join our Forensic Social Work Team at Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
You will be part of a dynamic team supporting and contributing to the delivery of an excellent Social Care Service to a forensic patient population across four Clinical Care Streams at Rampton High Secure Hospital. This includes the National Service for Women, the National Learning Disability Service for men, National Deaf Service for men, as well as the Male Personality Disorder and Mental Health Service for men.
You will work alongside Senior Social Workers and Social Workers within a supportive team structure and have opportunities to access training . You will have regular supervision and also gain knowledge and enhance skills from the expertise of other members of the team.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £26.40 (standard) or £54.40 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first 2 months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. An annual fee of £16 per year applies.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking to recruit individuals who are confident, compassionate and committed to supporting the team in providing a high quality, person centred social care service to our patients and their families/carers.
The role will require an individual to work effectively under the direction and leadership of a registered Social Worker in contributing to the patient's overall care, treatment and recovery. The role involves working directly with patients on wards and supporting and involving families/carers.
The role will also involve undertaking administrative tasks and gathering information to inform the social work assessments.
Working for our organisation
#TeamNottsHC comprises over 11,000 dedicated colleagues who #MakeADifference every day. We deliver intellectual disability, mental health, community health, forensic, and offender healthcare services across Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, and South Yorkshire. Our care is provided from over 200 sites, spanning community locations, acute settings, and secure environments, including prisons.
We are one of the largest mental health and community Trusts in the East Midlands and one of Nottinghamshire's biggest employers. We also host national and regional services, such as the National High Secure Deaf Service and the Nottingham Centre for Transgender Health.
We offer a variety of employee-led staff networks, including Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) groups, the Green Champions network, the Freedom to Speak Up network, the Health and Wellbeing Champions network, and the Menopause Champions network. These networks play a vital role in supporting our diverse workforce and promoting a culture of inclusivity.
The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is a top priority. We invest significantly in this through our in-house occupational health and staff counselling services, supported by a dedicated Health and Wellbeing team.
The Trust is committed to reducing its carbon emissions, with a specialised Energy and Environmental team working to ensure compliance with environmental legislation, enhance our environmental performance, and achieve our net-zero commitment
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Building therapeutic relationships with patients, families and carers to undertake social care tasks, under the direction of the allocated Senior Social Worker.
Attending and contributing to clinical meetings.
Providing administrative support to Senior Social Workers.
Support in the gathering of information to inform Social Work Assessments / Reports.
Communication with own service, other colleagues and other agencies; use of the telephone, MS Teams, email.
Use of IT systems such as Outlook, MS Teams, Word & Excel.
Organisation and administration of patients written files and electronic records.
Supporting and liaising with family and Carers and undertaking home visits where required.
To liaise, provide information and support social visitors in relation to transport issues to enable visits to patients. To occasionally transport carers in own vehicle / pool car as required.
To represent the Social Work Department at any Social Visitor involvement meetings or event days.
Supporting the Child Accreditation process including the supervision of child visits.
Successfully time manage and prioritise areas of responsibility.
This is not an exhaustive list of duties and may be changed in line with service needs in conjunction with the post holder.
A full UK driving licence and vehicle for business use is required for this post; however reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled individuals in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Person specification
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
- Able to plan and maintain high level of organisation
- Highly developed communication skills to develop effective therapeutic relationships with clients and carers
- Ability to work within a high-pressured environment
- Analytical skills
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in Health & Social Care or experience of working in a Health or Social Care setting
- A good standard of general education including GCSE in Maths and English or equivalent
- A working knowledge of computer programmes including Excel spreadsheets and Microsoft packages
Desirable criteria
- Other qualifications pertinent to the position
- ECDL
Training
Essential criteria
- Commitment to participate in appropriate training courses or updates in accordance with mandatory requirements and/or individual Personal Development Plans.
Desirable criteria
- Safeguarding Adults & Children
- GDPR
- Mental Health, Mental Capacity Awareness
Experience
Essential criteria
- Relevant work experience (paid or voluntary) in health or social care setting
- Evidence of working in a collaborative manner with other professionals
- Experience of working with people in emotional distress and presenting with social care needs
- Ability to work autonomously within the boundaries of the role
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in a secure forensic service or Criminal Justice Service or a health setting
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of Adult & Child Safeguarding
- Awareness of the principles underpinning diversity, equal opportunity and anti-oppressive practice
- Knowledge of mental health
- Knowledge of confidentiality and data protection
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of Mental Health Code of Practice
- Carer awareness
- Boundary awareness
Values and Behaviours
Essential criteria
- • All colleagues are expected to demonstrate that they act in line with Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Values: Trust Honesty Respect Compassion Teamwork
- • All colleagues are expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and how it applies to their role. The Trust’s expectations are highlighted within our EDI Policy, and associated EDI and Human Rights legislation
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kirsty Broughton
- Job title
- Social Work Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01777 247653
- Additional information
Matt Graves-Morton
Email: [email protected]
Telephone Number: 01777 247354
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