Role: HEO Senior Mental Health Social Worker – Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services).
Overview
The closing date is 02 October 2025. This vacancy is full-time offering 37 hours per week. Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Location: HMS Drake, Devonport.
Benefits
- A Market Skills Allowance of £5,000 per annum (pro rata) will be offered to the successful candidate.
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
- A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
- Professional registration fees reimbursed.
- Free parking.
- Access to gym.
- An environment with hybrid / flexible working options.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will provide effective Mental Health Social Work (MHSW) in support of the designated Mental Health Team.
About us
Our success depends on our people our Whole Force regular and reservist military, civil servants and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly to deliver for us.
Our civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, developing strategy, making policy, supporting ministerial decision-making and Parliamentary processes. In fact, with over 2,000 different roles working across 650 sites around the world, now really is an excellent time to join one of the largest, most exciting departments in government.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to attracting and retaining people from across the full range of backgrounds and enabling flexible ways of working as the norm. We offer maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.
In return, you can expect a department that helps you learn and develop that recognises your expertise and contribution, both as an individual and part of a team.
If youve ever wanted to do more, see more, go further or be better, we have roles in more professions and vocations than ever before. Let's see where your future will take you, together.
Job responsibilities
Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- To provide effective Mental Health Social Work (MHSW) in support of a designated Department of Community Mental Health, Defence Mental Health Social Work Service and the wider Defence Mental Health Services.
- Contribute to the development of service delivery, suggesting developmental initiatives in support of observations.
- Manage patient caseloads according to Defence Community Mental Health (DCMH) allocation processes and practices as directed by the clinical team lead / Manager and the MHSW Regional Lead.
- Support the management of the DCMH by providing direct delivery advice for MHSW to the DCMH line manager and or the MHSW Regional Lead.
- Support management and DCMH by providing advice and support on safeguarding issues and practice as DCMH Safeguarding Lead.
- Undertake such additional clinical/management tasks as may be appropriate to the grade and the role agreed in discussion with their line manager / Regional lead / HoS.
- Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details.
Selection Process
At application stage you will be assessed against your CV:
- Please ensure you demonstrate that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and memberships in the CV section of the application form.
- Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Interviews
At interview you will be assessed against the following:
- Behaviours: Changing and Improving; Making Effective Decisions; Communicating and Influencing; Working Together; Managing a Quality Service.
Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.
Further Information
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.
There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.
Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.
All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.
If found successful for this position, you will be required to provide evidence of your immunity to Hepatitis B. Please note that evidence of your vaccination is not a proof of your immunity, but your serology levels will be required. Failure to provide sufficient evidence may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn.
To be considered for this role, qualifications and memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.
The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact
The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.
The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Must be an appropriately qualified and experienced Mental Health Social Work Professional. Be registered with the SWE, SSSC, SCW or NISCC.
- Degree in Social Work or equivalent Diploma in Social Work (DipSW)/ Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW).
- Evidence of continued professional development and willingness to train in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as required.
- An understanding and working knowledge of all relevant social care legislation Mental Health Act (MHA) (83), Mental Capacity Act (MCA) (05) Inc Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS), Care Act 14, European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) (98) and Adult and Children Saf safeguarding, European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR)(section 98), the equivalent devolved legislation.
- Significant post qualification experience, which must be within mental health services. Experience in risk assessment and mental state.
Provide a CV
- Please copy and paste your full CV as your response to this question; you will not be able to upload your CV as an attachment.
- Please ensure to refer to the essential criteria where applicable as your application may be rejected should insufficient information to shortlist be included.
- Please use double spacing where possible.
Behavior Statement
- Have you been dismissed for gross misconduct relating to bullying, harassment, discrimination or victimisation from any role in the past five years, or resigned or otherwise left a role but would have been dismissed for such gross misconduct because of an adverse decision, had you continued in that employment?
- Please respond with Yes or No as appropriate.
- Please provide your membership registration number.
- You are required to be registered with the relevant qualified body, as detailed in the advert, prior to submitting your application.
- Your application will not progress should you fail to provide a valid membership registration number.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services)
£36,530 to £40,150 a yearPer annum (Pro rata for part time).
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📌 HEO Senior Mental Health Social Worker
🏢 NHS
📍 City of Devonport