Overview
We are recruiting an experienced and values-driven Social Worker to join our MHLDA Adult Social Care team, working with adults who are rough sleeping or at imminent risk of rough sleeping and who have Care Act-eligible needs. This role sits within the MHLDA Front Door and focuses on proactive, relationship-based engagement with adults experiencing multiple and compounding disadvantage, including mental ill-health, substance misuse, trauma, cognitive impairment, executive dysfunction, and insecure immigration status (including NRPF). You will work with a reduced caseload, reflecting the intensity and complexity of the work, and will undertake assertive outreach alongside statutory assessment, safeguarding, and system leadership. This post is ideal for a social worker who is confident working outside traditional office-based models and motivated to reduce harm, exclusion and avoidable crisis.
Key Responsibilities
- Proactively engage adults who are rough sleeping or at risk of rough sleeping in community and voluntary sector settings (e.g. homelessness hubs, drop‑ins, outreach venues).
- Undertake Care Act 2014 assessments, including complex eligibility decision-making.
- Complete Mental Capacity Act (MCA) assessments, including where capacity is fluctuating or impaired by mental ill-health, substance use or executive dysfunction.
- Initiate and lead Section 42 safeguarding enquiries where statutory thresholds are met.
- Apply Human Rights Assessments (HRAs), particularly in NRPF and complex immigration cases.
- Work closely with Housing, Public Health, CNWL, NWL, and voluntary sector partners to coordinate responses and prevent entrenchment in rough sleeping.
- Provide professional advice and consultation to voluntary sector colleagues, supporting earlier identification of Care Act needs.
- Contribute to learning from Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) and mortality reviews.
- Maintain clear, defensible recording and analysis, aligned with Making Safeguarding Personal (MSP).
About You
You will:
- Be a qualified social worker (Social Work England registered).
- Have significant post-qualifying experience in mental health, learning disability, homelessness, or safeguarding.
- Be confident applying the Care Act, MCA, safeguarding duties, and human rights frameworks in complex situations.
- Have experience of working with people who struggle to engage with traditional services.
- Be comfortable working outside office environments and adapting your approach to build trust over time.
- Bring a trauma-informed, strengths-based and anti-discriminatory practice approach.
- Be resilient, reflective, and able to work effectively within a small specialist team.
Why Join Us
- Be part of an innovative, prevention-focused response to rough sleeping and inclusion health.
- Work with manageable caseloads that allow for meaningful social work.
- Shape practice at the interface of safeguarding, homelessness, health and human rights.
- Make a tangible impact in reducing harm, crisis and premature mortality.
For more information, please refer to the Role Profile/Selection Criteria.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…