Discover yourself in Lewisham where what you do makes a difference to our vibrant and culturally diverse communities!

We have a rich history of welcoming people from all over the world and are proud to be recognised as the UK’s first Borough of Sanctuary, for our work in championing the rights of refugees and migrants.

Qualified Social Worker Opportunities in Lewisham

About Adult Social Care in Lewisham

“This is an exciting time to join Lewisham Adult Social Care. Whether you are at an early stage in your career or a more experienced practitioner looking for a change, we have the right job for you!

Recently, Lewisham Adult Social Care completed a service restructure to better support our residents and our staff. We have strengthened our Leadership Teams, refreshed and consolidated our career pathways and enabled better interactions between services. We repositioned our Advanced Practitioners, so they are located where they are most required – in Social Work and Occupational Therapy Teams across Adult Social Care and Mental Health. These practitioners support leadership teams through complex case work, share their expertise with colleagues, lead on practice development across the organization and complete quality assurance tasks, including case file audits.

The Adult Social Care workforce in Lewisham is relatively stable, but there remains a need to respond to social change, welcome innovation, and address the demand for constant service improvement.

A recent innovation has been to reposition our Advanced Practitioners, so they are located where they are most required – in Social Work and Occupational Therapy Teams across Adult Social Care and Mental Health. These practitioners support leadership teams through complex case work, share their expertise with colleagues, lead on practice development across the organization and complete quality assurance tasks, including audits.

In Lewisham, we invest in and value our staff, and that’s why so many of our Social Workers and Occupational Therapists choose the stability that we offer and build their careers with us.

Our Social Work and Occupational Therapy Teams are well managed, and the staff are friendly supportive and welcoming. So, see what’s on offer and complete an application if you’d like to join us”!

Our Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offer is the best you are likely to get anywhere.

We have a training matrix matched to the regulatory requirements of social workers and occupational therapists and promote the uptake of specialist training and post-qualifying courses which include, Consolidation pathways for newly qualified social workers; Practice Educator (aka PEPS) training; Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) training; Best Interest Assessor (BIA) training etc.

In addition, we have a range of innovative initiatives, such as Our Complex Case Forum to address casework that may prove particularly challenging to case holders; a High Risk Panel, which sits under the auspices of the Safeguarding Adult Board, where opportunities are provided to access multi-agency case direction when exceptional risk presents regarding safeguarding practice; the Joint Thinking Space is aligned to our Think Family strategy and enables joined up and effective round table dialogue between children and adult professionals. There are also opportunities to join various bite size learning forums, and to be part of a learning organization, as we have a well-established culture of supporting adult learners and social work students on practice placements.

Council-employed staff are also supported through social work and OT apprenticeship degrees, and newly qualified social workers through the ASYE. This creates a truly rich and versatile working environment.

The Advanced Practitioners and Workforce & Practice Development Lead are on hand to ensure that all staff, whether or not they are in regulated roles, are supported to achieve their best, and present the options available through the ASC career pathway.

The interface between social work and occupational therapy in Lewisham is also worthy of note, as we have avoided the unhelpful ASC splits that are features of other Councils. As colleagues, we take pride in our collective achievements, complement one another’s work and are supportive and respectful of our unique skills and what we bring to local people. Lewisham Adult Social Care is therefore a great place to work as you are welcomed and supported by your colleagues, whatever your role.

Perhaps the most important aspect of our ‘offer’ is enshrined in the Lewisham Values: to be Ambitious; to be Inclusive; to be Collaborative; to be Accountable; and to be Trustworthy. This would be our commitment if you chose to work for us and would also be our expectation of you.

If these words resonate, we would like to hear from you.

We have opportunities in the following teams, so if you are a social worker or occupational therapist follow the links below to learn more about the service area and to access the job description and person specification.

Social Worker - Neighbourhood Teams

The main purpose of this job is to work as a case management social worker to assess the needs of vulnerable adults and their carers, and support them to arrange services to meet their needs. The service is organised within a locality model, consisting of four neighbourhood clusters across the Borough.

You will have strong adult social care assessment skills that are informed by strength based practice, experience and knowledge of the Care Act (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005) and adult safeguarding processes.

Social Worker - Psychological Medicine and Older Adults Team (PMOA)

Social Workers are needed in the PMOA Team to provide a range of social care assessments for older people with severe and complex mental health needs, as well as services for adults of all ages who have dementia. This work is undertaken in partnership with South London and Maudsley (SLaM) NHS Foundation Trust and requires a working knowledge of the Mental Health Act (1983), Care Act (2014) and Mental Capacity Act (2005).

Social Worker - Gateway

Social workers in the Gateway provide the initial point of contact for new referrals concerning vulnerable individuals. They screen and prioritize incoming requests, gathering essential information and signposting to appropriate services. Essential knowledge includes referral criteria for various services, local community resources, and effective communication strategies. Referrals come from individuals, families, professionals, and concerned members of the public, and experience of effective needs assessment, an understanding of strength based practice and clear communication in a high-volume environment is essential.

Social Worker - MASH

Social workers in Adult MASH provide a multi-agency response to safeguarding vulnerable adults. They triage and assess concerns, sharing information between social care, police, and health to make joint protection decisions. Essential knowledge includes the Care Act (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005), and safeguarding processes. Referrals come from individuals, families, professionals, and concerned members of the public, and experience of inter-agency work in a fast-based team is essential.

Social Worker - Transitions Team

The Transitions Service requires experienced social workers to support young adults, aged 18-25, with learning disabilities and/or Autism as they move into adulthood. This involves complex case work and support planning, including Mental Capacity Assessments and safeguarding to promote positive risk-taking and person-centred decision making. Strength based approaches and collaborating with all our partners is essential to how we foster well-being and connect people to their communities, and we’d like to hear from you if you can contribute to this important work.

Social Worker - AWLD & A Team

The Adults with Learning Disability and Autism Team is seeking social workers to drive their innovative and continuously improving service. You'll deliver person-centred support across diverse settings, handling complex casework including Mental Capacity Assessments, court work, and safeguarding. The role emphasizes promoting positive risk-taking and fostering well-being through strength-based approaches and community collaboration. If you're a social worker committed to best practices and contributing to vital work, we want to hear from you.

Social Worker - Complex Hospital Discharge Team

We are seeking qualified and experienced Hospital social workers to join our dynamic hospital discharge team. You'll provide crucial support to patients, ensuring timely, safe, and person-centred transitions of care. This involves conducting holistic assessments, coordinating discharge plans, and advocating for adults with different degrees of vulnerability. The work requires confidence in in legal frameworks such as the Care Act (2014) and Mental Capacity Act (2005), effective communication skills, and a commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and person-centred hospital discharge.

Social Worker - Discharge to Assess / Enablement SW Team

We have social work vacancies in our Discharge to Assess (D2A) service. You'll work in a multi-disciplinary team, conducting holistic assessments and developing support plans for adults returning home after a period of hospital admission. You’ll ensure care is delivered according to the Care Act 2014, facilitating timely and safe discharges. If you're proactive and collaborative, we’d welcome your application.

Mental Health Social Worker / Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP) - Adult Mental Health Services

Our integrated mental health services seek social workers to support working-age adults (age 18-65) with serious mental health conditions. You'll assess needs under the Care Act (2014), Mental Health Act (1983) and Mental Capacity Act (2005); create person-centred care plans; provide interventions, and coordinate care as part of a multi-disciplinary team. We require qualified social workers with community mental health experience, strong assessment, communication, and safeguarding skills, and a commitment to delivering compassionate care and support.

Social Worker - Placement Review Team

The purpose of the Placement Review Team is to regularly review care and support arrangements, particularly for individuals placed in residential or nursing homes. The aim is to ensure that the placement remain safe and continue to meet the needs of the residents. The target group are adults receiving long-term care and support arranged by the Council, particularly those in funded placements. We need competent social workers with practice strengths pertaining to the Care Act (2014), Mental Capacity Act (2005) and experience of review process and safeguarding practice.

Location

The job is primarily based on Lewisham Sites including the hospital but we operate a hybrid approach where you will be required to work both in the office and from home on a regular basis.

Special conditions

Relevant Social Work qualification is needed
Qualified and Registered Social Worker
The job is subject to an enhanced DBS check

The recruitment process is anonymous and we don’t accept CV’s.

Applicant handbook - please read the guidance in this handbook when applying. It is essential that you complete the application fully and that your supporting statement covers how you meet each of the person specification criteria listed.

For an informal discussion about this job, please contact Mary Farinha, Service Group Manager on 0208 314 9287 or mary.farinha@lewisham.gov.uk

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification (Social Worker)

Please click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification (Mental Health Social Worker)

Please click here to to see why Lewisham is the place to work within Adult Social Care

Salary

£44,430 - £46,437 per annum (SW).

N.B: All appointments will be offered at the minimum spinal column point (SCP) for the grade of the role. The only exception to this will be when matching current salary (up to the maximum of the scale), which is subject to evidential proof.

Diversity

Lewisham Council is a Disability Confident employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details are available at www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply

The Council has a dedicated employment support service, Lewisham Works, which offers Lewisham residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you want to join Lewisham Works, please email JobsAndSkills@lewisham.gov.uk and an advisor will be in touch with you.

The Council reserves the right to close adverts early if there is a large response.

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