Mental Health Outreach – Lead Caseworker (Brent & Harrow)

**Mental Health Outreach – Lead Caseworker Location: Brent and Harrow Contract type: Permanent Hours per week: 35 Salary: Up to £33,344 per annum (inclusive of Inner London Weighting allowance)

We’ve got an opportunity…**

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced caseworker to join the British Red Cross (BRC) in Brent and Harrow, working on an innovative NHSE programme that supports people who access health care more than expected (commonly referred to as High Intensity Use (HIU) of urgent and emergency care and/or Mental Health services). BRC deliver this project in Partnership with Central North West London (CNWL) NHS Foundation Trust.

Based in the community across Brent and Harrow, you will work intensively with a rolling caseload, helping to identify and address unmet social needs that may be exacerbating mental health. The people w e support may have complex presentations, including serious mental illness (SMI), substance misuse, learning disabilities, adverse traumatic experiences, and they are often suspicious of formality and offers of support. So, we are looking for someone whose ability to connect is exceptionally strong. You must be authentic, engaging, and compassionate.

We are looking for team members who have experience of working alongside mental health and/or drug and alcohol services and who can demonstrate their ability in supporting people to achieve good outcomes. You will be a go-getter, who can juggle multiple tasks, handle crisis calmly, and be able to build strong relationships with local stakeholders.

A large part of our role is to lower the stigma that is associated with this group of people and to change mindsets and behaviours that can adversely affect access and recovery. By building strong relationships with partners, in this case the Liaison Psychiatry Depar tment (LPS) at Northwick Park Hospital and the Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) across Brent and Harrow, you will advocate to improve access to statutory services, improve integrated working, whilst supporting the person to self-manage and achieve outcomes that improve their overall wellbeing. In the latter stages of your support, you will focus on identifying any wider determinants that may be an underlying factor in declining health.

Most of your time will be spent out in the community; meeting people in their homes, in cafes or walking in a local park, so you will need to be confident of lone working procedures and able to keep meticulous support records whilst out and about. You will also need to be physically able to maintain face to face activity (within public health and BRC guidelines) during the CV-19 pandemic.

A comprehensive training programme will build on the skills you have already have, offering long term career progression within the org anisation.

Say hello to the team…

Our Health and Local Crisis Response services help to prevent people from reaching crisis point. We are committed to delivering a person-centred service that empowers people to achieve ‘what matters to them’. This could include an enhanced quality of life, increased confidence and independence, and an improved sense of choice and control.

About you…

We are seeking a resilient and motivated individual who is able to demonstrate compassion, strong negotiation skills, patience and a real appetite for helping some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

(Please read the full Role Profile/ Job Description for more information about this vacancy including responsibilities and full person specification and refer to the ‘Additional Information’ attached for support completing your application)

Closing date for application is 23.59 on Wednesday 27th of July 2022.

We anticipate that this position will generate a high level of interest. We will be interviewing throughout the process and therefore reserve the right to close the vacancy to applications earlier than the above date. As such we encourage early applications.

We offer a wide range of staff benefits, these include:

• 36 days holiday (including Bank Holidays)
• Option to buy an extra 5 days annual leave
• Up to 6% contributory pension
• Flexible working policy
• Genuine investment in your professional development

A little bit more about us

The British Red Cross help anyone, anywhere in the UK get the support they need if crisis strikes. From hiring a wheelchair or dealing with loneliness, to adjusting to life in a new country – we’re there when you need us.

Our organisation was born out of a desire to bring help without discrimination. Impartiality and neutrality have been central values for the Red Cross since we started.

At the British Red Cross, we are looking for the best people to help us provide support to millions of people affected by crisis in the UK. We want our team to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve, offering equal opportunities to everyone, regardless of, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Diversity is something we celebrate and we want you to be able to bring your authentic self to the Red Cross. We want you to feel that you are in an inclusive environment, and a great position to help us spread the power of kindness.

In the British Red Cross we will not tolerate any form of misconduct, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse. We have a code of conduct in place and are committed to creating a culture of integrity in the organisation where misconduct is not tolerated, situations of abuse are quickly investigated and perpetrators are dealt with effectively.

If you are appointed to a role within BRC you will be subject to the organisation’s Code of Conduct, a copy of which you can find on our website.

The British Red Cross, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949) and Scotland (SC037738).

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Connecting human kindness with human crisis