AGE CONCERN ISLINGTON
31,155 per year
Islington
Full-time
JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE:                       Community Mental Health Keyworker

WORKING HOURS:

37.5 hours per week - worked flexibly to meet the needs of the Service
Users

SALARY:

£31,155 pa inclusive; access to pension scheme

DBS LEVEL:                     Enhanced DBS with Adult & Child Barring

REPORTS TO:                  Team Leader at Age UK Islington

LOCATION:

INTRODUCTION

The  Post  will  be  based  across  two  main  office  locations  –  Islington
Mental health Core teams and Age UK Islington. However, we reserve
the right to relocate post holders to other operating bases in line with
operational requirements.

The North London NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and social care services,
across five Boroughs. The Keyworker role will be based within the Islington Core Teams – see
link for further information: Our Services Page | North London NHS Foundation Trust . The Core Team’s
vision is to provide integrated and person-centered care and to work together in partnership
with primary care, the Voluntary & Community Sector (VCS), social care, communities, service
users, their carers and families to support and improve mental and physical health for the whole
population through a combination of prevention, supporting people to stay well and
responsiveness to changes in need.

The service provides five keyworkers to work across the localities in Islington. Three
keyworkers are employed by Age UK Islington and two keyworkers by MIND Islington.

Age UK Islington and Islington MIND are both independent charities, Age UK Islington provides
a range of one to one personalised support and Islington MIND offer a range of structured and
open access mental health interventions including our peer led bespoke projects.

For more information you can visit Age UK Islington on www.ageuk.org.uk/Islington

JOB PURPOSE:

To work within the Islington core community mental health multidisciplinary/multiagency core
team, that integrates services across health, social care and the Voluntary & Community
Sector.

The main aims of the role:

•  Improve Service User experience and outcomes.
•  Ensure people with mental health issues have improved access to mental health support.

CMHKW JD/PS

©Age UK Islington and Islington Mind

V7 Jan 2024

•  That care and support is holistic and person-centred, truly orientated towards the promotion

and maximisation of individuals’ health, wellbeing and independence

•  Health inequalities often faced by people with mental health issues are reduced.
•  The new community service approach is a true integration across secondary mental health
services, the VCS, primary care, social care, community assets as well as other physical
healthcare provision.

The post holder will work across various Service User database systems to both input and
extract data to support the effective delivery of services.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

•  Key workers will seek to identify and address the wider determinants of mental health,

such as debt, poor housing and physical inactivity.

•  Working with Service Users as a case worker to support them to deliver specific personal

goals in conjunction with the wider core team

•  Provide the time and flexibility needed on a case-by-case Service User basis to enable
and sustain the regular planned engagement that Service Users need to maximise their
health, wellbeing and independence.

•  Offer a bespoke, tailored approach, ensuring flexibility in form, type, location, time and

day of support – recognising one size does not fit all.

•  Offer a range of different accessibility options to Service Users, whether this involves

face to face at locations and times to suit the individual e.g. local park, café, community
centre, online or telephone contact, as well as meeting Service Users at their home
where appropriate.

•  Develop supportive relationships with local VCS organisations, culturally appropriate
community groups and statutory and health services, to make timely, appropriate and
supported referrals and connect with diverse local communities, particularly those
statutory agencies may find hard to reach e.g. BAME, P of C and LGBTQ+.

•  Work with a Service User to co-create a personalised support plan including resources
and support to access health and wellbeing support from a range of disciplines and
providers, building upon a strengths-based approach to motivate and encourage
preventative options for longer term self-management, as well as providing complex
intensive casework input where required.
In addition to this relationship building with the Service User, the key worker will also
seek to build effective working relationships with other members of the team and outside
professionals as part of our ‘Test and Learn’ approach. This will include building effective
communication channels to identify and solve problems, avoid duplication and work
assertively to represent the individual needs of Service Users and share where system
change or flex is needed to improve practice

•

Casework

•  Receive and triage referrals from members of the Core Team and a range of Service

Users and professionals.

•  Carry out case work activity and case manage a quota of Service Users.
•  Work flexibly with individuals to provide support in managing their health and wellbeing

and make connections to community services and activities.

CMHKW JD/PS

©Age UK Islington and Islington Mind

V7 Jan 2024

•  Coproduce personalised support plans with Service Users
•  Provide support that focusses on enabling Service Users to take control of their health
and wellbeing and live independently, working with a diverse range of people and
communities.

•  Follow up on support and identify ongoing prevention opportunities during case work
and at case closure including an agreed ongoing schedule of contact/follow up.
•  Carry out and record all work and interactions with Service Users on a range of

systems, including NHS recording systems.

•  Work collaboratively with Core team members, including representation and attendance

at key sites and multi-disciplinary meetings.

•  Collaborate with other service teams and systems to ensure the full range support is

implemented and fulfilled.

•  Carry out learning and personal development responsibilities.

Monitoring, Information and Quality Assurance

•  To be proficient in using Microsoft office packages and other identified IT systems.
•  To record relevant Service user documentation contemporaneously on identified IT

systems as required.

•  Facility for learning new software packages which may be in continued development.
•  Support completion of Service User referrals, record electronically and feedback to team

•

members.
Input data onto the Service User information management systems to update Service
User Service User details, and periodically use reports to ensure Service User Service
User details are correct.

•  Be responsible for updating the electronic service directory on a regular basis, sourcing

referral criteria and ensuring these are accessible to all relevant parties.

•  Provide quarterly reports and feedback to your manager in line with agreed KPI’s
•  Maintain quality standards in accordance with the policies of your organisation

Partnership Building

•  Build and maintain effective working relationships with the Core Team partners and act

as a link between these and the wider community offer.

•  Develop an in-depth understanding of the specialist service offer from the other partners
and how this can be applied in a prevention approach to ensure effective onward referral
after triage.

•  Ensure the prompt identification and escalation of any areas of system delay, failure or

areas of learning and escalate these to the service manager.

Risk Management:

•  All post holders have a responsibility to report risks such as clinical and non-

clinical accidents or incidents promptly. They are expected to be familiar with the
organisation’s use of risk assessments to predict and control risk, as well as the
incident reporting system for learning from mistakes and near misses to improve
services. Post holders must also attend training identified by their manager or
stated by the organisation to be mandatory.

•  Manage risk within your sphere of responsibility, including taking reasonable care

CMHKW JD/PS

©Age UK Islington and Islington Mind

V7 Jan 2024

of your own safety and the safety of others who may be affected by acts or
omissions. To be aware of the responsibilities placed upon you by The Health Act
(2007) to ensure they maintain a safe, infection free environment. This includes the
knowledge and understanding of the management of infected Service Users and
the principles of Standard Infection Control Precautions including the correct
technique for Hand Washing and the appropriate use of Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE).

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults:

•

•

Post holders have a general responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable
adults in the course of their daily duties and for ensuring that they are aware of the
specific duties relating to their role.
Keep up to date with current Safeguarding policy and procedure and follow protocol
at all times.

Wider Organisational responsibilities

•  Work  collaboratively  within  an  MDT  setting  with  clinical  staff  and  with  other  services

provided by the organisation and its partners.

•  Meet legislative and all relevant regulatory requirements including Health & Safety.
•

Ensure the values of Age UK Islington/Islington Mind and the North London NHS
Foundation Trust are upheld.
Carry out duties in accordance with principles, policies and procedures.
Provide cover for absent colleagues.
Carry out administrative duties in connection with the post.

•
•
•

Notes:
This role description is not intended to be exhaustive in every respect but rather to clearly define
the  fundamental  purpose,  responsibilities  and  dimensions  for  the  role.  Therefore,  the  role
description does not describe any individual role holder.

In addition to the contents of this role description, employees are expected to undertake any and
all other reasonable and related tasks allocated by line management.

CMHKW JD/PS

©Age UK Islington and Islington Mind

V7 Jan 2024

Age UK Islington   PERSON SPECIFICATION/SUCCESS PROFILES        HR: Recruitment

Person Specification
Factors
Experience/
Qualifications

Description
Health and or Social Care qualifications

Essential  Desirable  Assessment
✓

App

Skills

Knowledge

Aptitude

Experience of supporting people with Mental
health issues

Application of outcomes-based approaches to
care and support

Working with at-risk individuals in a health
or social care type role
Carrying out screening and triage functions

Using IT based case management systems

Effective and confident written and verbal
communication to wide range of Service User
and practitioner audiences

Identifying and resolving Service User issues
sensitively within service and professional
boundaries
Able to build supportive and trusted working
relationships
Able to prioritise and manage own workload

Working flexibly with people on a one-to-one
basis in a coaching role

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team
Personalised working using motivational
interviewing techniques
Relevant voluntary and community sector services
knowledge

Service User confidentiality, privacy and
dignity best practice requirements

Core health and social care processes and
integrated working approaches

Commitment to delivering a high quality and safe
service
Able to communicate with Service Users and
professionals at all levels
Able to assess risk when lone working

Able to manage own workload and prioritise
competing pressures
Willingness to undergo further training
or development

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

✓

App

App/Int/Pres

App/lnt

App/Int

App/Int

App/Int

App/Int/Pres

App/Int

App/Int

✓

App/Int

App/Int/Pres
App/Int/Pres

✓

App/Int/Pres

App/Int

✓

App/Int

App/Int

App/Int/Pres

App/Int/Pres

App/Int/Pres

App/Int

App=Application Int= Interview Pres = Presentation
Age UK Islington & Islington MIND are a diverse and inclusive workplace, and we want to help candidates
demonstrate their full potential. If candidates require any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process, they
should let the recruitment manager know.

CMHKW JD/PS

©Age UK Islington and Islington Mind

V7 Jan 2024

Community Mental Health Keyworker - AGE CONCERN ISLINGTON | Work In Charities