Associate Director Mental Health (Professional Social Work Lead)
Job Profile
Job Title: Associate Director Mental
Health (Professional Social
Work lead)
Group/family:
Grade: PO8/9
Social Care/ Leadership Direction
Additional specific details apply to:
Directorate: Adult & Community Services
Team: Joint Mental Health Service
(NB This is a joint role and is within London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames
and South West London and St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, with a
designated split of time between the organisations served)
Reports to (role title): Service Director
South West London and St George’s
Mental Health NHS Trust
Assistant Director Commissioning Care
Services
London Borough of Richmond upon
Thames
Please note that all capitalised section headings denotes where generic content is provided which is
standard for all roles with the same job title. Lower case section headings denote where content is
varied to provide specific additional directorate/team information.
CONTEXT
The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames (LBRuT) is divided into four
Directorates. Adult and Community Services is the biggest directorate and covers
community based social care services, housing, in-house care provision, transport
and some corporate and strategic functions.
LBRuT has a formal partnership agreement with South West London and St
George’s Mental Health NHS Trust and East London NHS Trust to provide a joint
mental health service incorporating all LBRuT and Trust staff working in mental
health services, under the Trust’s operational management. All LBRuT mental
health operational staff are seconded to the South West London & St George’s
Mental Health NHS Trust, including professional social workers and support
workers. The Trust operates across five London Boroughs and has partnership
arrangements with each. This role is for the specific areas of work for which LBRuT
is responsible and to link into a recovery based model of care. The East London
NHS Trust provides the Richmond Wellbeing Service which is an enhanced primary
care service for a significant cohort of service users who are able to self manage
with support and the social care function within this service, will form part of the
professional supervision and strategic oversight role of this post .
LBRuT is continually reviewing its structures and ways of working in order to provide
the best services possible for residents, in the most efficient way. As a result the
key tasks in any job may be varied and the post holder will be expected to take on
such variations consistent with the level of responsibility of the post.
HR Use only:
Reference: <<job family ref>><<unique no.>><<mm/yy>>
1
Associate Director Mental Health (Professional Social Work Lead)
Context for the specific role
For mental health services, this post plays a key role in ensuring that social care
responsibilities are effectively discharged, providing professional leadership,
oversight and scrutiny of social work practice. It has management oversight of
Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) and will offer direction to social
care staff within Mental Health and Substance Misuse. The post plays a vital role in
championing social care, promoting quality, best practice and person centred care
for adults aged between 18 and 65 who have mental health issues in the Borough
and for which both LBRuT and the Trust/s have responsibility.
1. PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This Partnership role requires high levels of professionalism, drive and tenacity. It
has dual reporting responsibilities and is accountable for delivery of the S75
Partnership Agreement but will be line managed by the Borough Service Director
within the St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust. It has a key role in supporting the
delivery of the wider CCG/LBRuT mental health commissioning strategy as well as
working with partners, providers, service users and their carers.
1. To be the lead senior LBRuT Manager within the partnership between LBRuT
and Trust/s, ensuring that LBRuT statutory responsibilities are delivered as a
priority.
2. To provide professional leadership to mental health and drug and alcohol social
work and social care staff within the Borough’s mental health services.
3. To uphold best practice and standards of professional supervision of the Social
Workers and the AMHP role.
4. To support the Trusts to deliver within the agreed financial parameters and future
efficiencies, to deliver excellent mental health social care outcomes, in
accordance with the integrated services’ priorities and outcomes.
5. To act as service lead on key areas of work within Richmond mental health
services, including the strategic development of self-directed support and
personalised social care, and support for carers.
6. To assume a leadership role in adult safeguarding, ensuring high quality of
practice within teams, response times and links to wider preventative services.
To link safeguarding into the clinical and care governance processes with the
Trust/s and Council.
7. To exercise a quality assurance scrutiny role over social care arrangements that
are commissioned and purchased, promoting personalised social care and
obtaining best value for money.
8. To develop and maintain a high quality Borough AMHP service and to act as
senior Professional Adviser on AMHP related issues.
HR Use only:
Reference: <<job family ref>><<unique no.>><<mm/yy>>
2
Associate Director Mental Health (Professional Social Work Lead)
9. To work with South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust
Director of Social Work and other Borough Social Work leads on issues affecting
Richmond and the whole Trust.
10. To provide assurance of the quality of mental health social care to LBRuT via the
implementation and monitoring of the S75 partnerships with the two Trust/s
These are the key responsibilities as currently defined. Although there is an attempt to list
them in priority order, priorities are subject to change and post holders should not place
permanent emphasis on the location of the task within this job description.
2.
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES (delete if not used)
1. To be a part of the South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust
Borough Executive Team and LBRuT Commissioning Care Services Divisional
Management Group, providing a social care perspective and input to all relevant
discussions and decisions.
2. To represent, where appropriate, the London Borough of Richmond and the
Trust Directorate at internal and external meetings.
3. To work, as necessary, with senior officers (of both organisations), Council
Elected Members and Trust Board Members.
4. To manage projects allocated to the Service, as directed by the Council,
ensuring that they are planned effectively to achieve outcomes and deadlines.
5. To lead and hold the budget for professional training and practice development
of social work staff, including PQ and (cross-disciplinary) AMHP training.
6. To support, guide and advise the Trust/s Management (operational) structure in
the management of all social care resources, including Council budgets,
ensuring appropriate use and due rigour.
7. To have general oversight of Council key areas of performance and key
performance indicators but supporting, guiding and advising the Trust/s
Management (operational) structure so there is a holistic and integrated delivery
of Trust and Council performance imperatives within the service as a whole.
3.
Additional details (delete if not used)
1. This role is located primarily within the SWLSTG NHS Trust but will involve
regular attendance at key meetings and involvement with the Council. The role
requires specific skills of bringing together the common areas of work and
delivering for and on behalf of the organisations and jointly agreed strategies.
2. Specific details above are given to provide additional clarity on the
responsibilities of this particular job, but does not count towards the evaluation.
In addition key objectives, performance indicators and targets for the next 12
months are regularly set as part of the appraisal process.
HR Use only:
3
Reference: <<job family ref>><<unique no.>><<mm/yy>>
Associate Director Mental Health (Professional Social Work Lead)
4.
Organisation Chart
.
Assistant Director
Commissioning
Care Services
Borough
Service
Director Mental
Health Trust
General
Management
Structure
3 Service
Management
Areas
Associate Director
Mental Health
LBRuT
Safeguarding
Locality
Teams
THIS POST
South West London & St George’s
Mental Health NHS Trust
5.
London Borough of Richmond
Upon Thames Council
VALUES AND BEHAVIOUR
Values and Behaviours
We take responsibility:
 I make decisions rather than referring them up the line
Recruitment & Selection
Essential (E)
Interview (I)
I am a role model for the Council’s and Trust’s
behaviours and lead by example
Essential (E)
Interview (I)
We find better ways:
 I encourage my team to bring in good practice from
elsewhere in the Council, Trust or outside
Essential (E)
Interview (I)
Essential (E)
Interview (I)
Essential (E)
Interview (I)
I will work in a way that promotes joined service
interventions to service users and avoids
organisational boundaries being an inhibiting factor
Essential (E)
Interview (I)
People make the difference:
 I look for opportunities to work with colleagues and
partners to deliver improved services
Essential (E)
Interview (I)


I actively support the changes the Council is making
and will help my team to see the positive aspects of
change and what’s in it for them
We focus on our customers:
 My service is based on my understanding of
customers’ needs and views

HR Use only:
Reference: <<job family ref>><<unique no.>><<mm/yy>>
4
Associate Director Mental Health (Professional Social Work Lead)
6.
EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATION, TRAINING OR OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Please note that a maximum of 10 criteria should be used in Section 7, distributed
under the specific headings as appropriate.
Experience
1. Five years post qualification experience
working in local authority, voluntary or healthrelated setting, including a minimum of three
years’ experience at senior social work level.
Recruitment and Selection
Essential (E) Assessed by
Application (A) and
Interview (I)
2. Experience of working as an Approved Social
Worker/ Approved Mental Health Professional
under Mental Health Act 1983
Essential (E)
Assessed by
Application (A) and
Interview (I)
3. Experience of managing resources
(supervising and/or managing staff) and
budgets to cash limits.
Essential (E)
Assessed by Test (T)
Application (A) and
Interview (I) and
4. Good knowledge of current practice best
practice and legislation relating to mental
health and substance misuse.
Essential (E)
Assessed by
Application (A) and
Interview (I)
Qualification/Training
5. Formal Professional Social Work Qualification
approved by General Social Care Council (e.g.
DipSW, CQSW etc.) and Valid current
registration with General Social Care Council
Recruitment and Selection
Essential (E) Assessed by
Application (A) and
Other (O) - Certificates
and Registration Check
6. Post qualification relevant to achieving
Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP)
accreditation
Essential (E)
7. Professional Post Qualifying Courses including
Management Qualification
Desirable (D)
Assessed by
Application (A) and
Other (O) – Valid
AMHP warrant
Assessed by
Application (A) and
Other (O) – Certificates
Other requirements
8. Ability to develop and maintain effective
working partnerships with local statutory
and voluntary sector agencies, other
organisations as well as users and carers.
Recruitment and Selection
Essential (E)
Assessed by
Application (A) and
Interview (I)
9. Ability to plan, organise and set appropriate
standards of service delivery and monitor
performance Ability to lead strategic
workforce and service developments.
Essential (E)
10. Understanding of legislation relation to
equalities and promotion of support and
practice that is anti-discriminatory
Essential (E)
Assessed by
Application (A) and
Interview (I)
Assessed by
Application (A) and
Interview (I)
Evaluation dated:
This job profile is provided for guidance only. It will be updated and amended in
accordance with the changing needs of the Council and the requirements of the role.
HR Use only:
Reference: <<job family ref>><<unique no.>><<mm/yy>>
5