Mental Health and Complex Needs Caseworker

Hours, Salary, and Location 

Job Title: Mental Health & Complex Needs Caseworker 

Organisation: Elmore Community Services 

Hours: 37.5 Monday – Friday 09:00 – 17:00 

Reports To: Team Manager 

Salary: £28,840-£32,459 (FTE) per annum dependent on relevant experience.

Pension: Employers’ pension contribution rising to 5% on completion of probationary period.  

Location: Elmore offices, 213 Barnes Road, Cowley, with Country wide travel expected 

The Purpose of your Role 

Elmore is a leading expert third sector organisation in the Thames Valley supporting people experiencing complex needs and this role is an excellent opportunity to work in our Oxfordshire Mental Health and Complex Needs Floating Support Team. This team covers several different contracts.

In this role, you would be providing flexible support to adults living in the community with multiple and complex needs arising from a combination of issues, who are struggling to engage with other services and have significant unmet needs. Issues people face include mental health, trauma, homelessness, addictions, learning and communication difficulties, trauma, domestic violence, exploitation, physical health, brain injury, social isolation, offending and anti-social behaviour, child protection, and family breakdown.

You will contribute to reducing homelessness and improving wellbeing for those most at risk, recognising the links between housing issues and other factors such as mental health, addiction, and social isolation. This holistic approach aims not only to secure accommodation but also to empower clients to maintain their tenancies and move towards greater independence within the community.

You will have a non-judgemental and empowering approach, supporting clients both creatively and flexibility with the issues they are currently facing through 1-1 case work. This role is perfect if you are looking to further develop your skills and knowledge of working with complexity in the health and social care sector in Oxfordshire.

We are a caring, passionate and supportive team, that works to a team approach, sharing a wealth of knowledge and maintaining close working relationships with each other. We are committed to the development and wellbeing of our staff alongside providing an excellent service to our clients.

Key Responsibilities 

• To assess potential clients and make recommendations about suitability for our services and work with a caseload of allocated clients (caseload levels are reflective of the complex, chaotic lives of the people we support).

• To creatively support and engage clients with a wide range of support needs (for example mental health problems, homelessness or housing issues, social isolation, family breakdown, offending behaviour, challenging behaviour, finance and debt, alcohol and drug abuse) to achieve goals as defined in support plans that clients have developed.

• To actively manage and update client’s risks in line with Elmore’s risk assessment policy and procedure.

• To act as an advocate for clients to ensure that their voices are heard.

• To support clients to access a range of agencies.

• Contribute to the high performance of the wider Elmore team

• To support and champion Elmore’s values.

• To work within the team approach and to be a supportive and effective part of the team.

• To attend and participate in team meetings, planning meetings and policy reviews.

• To build excellent relationships with, and work as part of a multi-agency team with the Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership and other partners.

• To provide data regularly to ensure accountability and evidence client engagement and activity.

• To maintain clear and accurate records and complete relevant monitoring relating to the clients that you are supporting to fulfil contractual needs.

• To actively promote Elmore to stakeholders and represent Elmore at external networking meetings and multi-agency meetings regarding clients.

• To work within Elmore’s policies and procedures including Health and Safety regulations, Equality and Diversity and Safeguarding.

• To work with the rest of the team to map out and understand support networks for clients.

• To form part of the duty rota.

• To undertake any other relevant task as defined by your line manager in relation to the caseworker role.

Personal development 

• Be proactive in reviewing and evaluating personal performance and identifying areas for improvement and development.

• To keep up to date with relevant legislation that might affect clients (including mental health, benefits, housing and criminal justice).

• To attend and actively participate in supervision sessions.

• To attend and complete relevant training as agreed with your line manager.

Person Specification 

Experience: 

• At least 3-years’ experience of working with people with support needs related to mental health, social isolation, drug use, alcohol misuse, homelessness, offending behaviour, antisocial behaviour, or challenging behaviour

• Experience of working in partnership with other agencies and liaising with statutory and voluntary sector care providers

• Experience of working independently and managing own case load

• Experience of risk assessment and management, and safety planning

• Experience of using a case management database and keeping accurate case records

• Experience of working in an often-demanding environment as part of a team and coping effectively

Skills and Abilities: 

• A clear understanding of the issues faced by people with complex support needs, particularly those which might arise when supporting clients in a community setting

• Knowledge of adult and child safeguarding issues and the roles and responsibilities of relevant agencies

• Ability to respond flexibly, creatively and persistently to a range of challenging casework issues

• Ability to build effective relationships with clients, especially clients who are difficult to engage, providing support respectfully and without creating dependency

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Knowledge of appropriate services that Elmore clients may need support to access

• Ability to use Microsoft Word, Outlook and Excel and a readiness to learn new ICT skills

• An understanding of relevant legislation that affects clients including Homelessness, Mental Health Act and welfare benefits

• Car driver with full licence and access to vehicle for work use

Values: 

• Commitment to the ideals of quality and fairness in delivering support to vulnerable people, and the meaningful involvement of service users

• Good understanding of the principles of equality and diversity and how to apply them in our context

The post-holder must be eligible to work in the UK, and appointment is subject to satisfactory DBS check.

How to Apply 

If this sounds like the right role and organisation for you, we welcome an application. Application is by way of a CV and a Supporting Statement addressing the specific points in the person specification.

It is very important that you say why you meet each point by using examples, not simply stating that you have the experience. For example, instead of just saying you have effective people management skills, please tell us what this experience is and give examples to prove your point.

Elmore is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for everyone regardless of age, disability, gender identity, race, religion and beliefs, sex and sexual orientation, and marital status. Elmore treats all clients with respect and dignity, aiming to tailor support to individual needs and preferences. We constantly strive to involve service users in planning and evaluating our services.

Please complete the equal opportunities form. This is optional but is very helpful, as it enables us to ensure our recruitment process is fair and is not inadvertently discriminating against any groups. The form will not be shared with the selection panel or used during the recruitment process.

Email: recruitment@elmorecommunityservices.org.uk 

Closing Date:  13th February 2026 at 12:00 pm