AMHP Senior Social Worker

Social Care Today; Chelmsford; Sur place; GBP 42 000 - 56 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Essex County Council AMHP Service is recruiting an AMHP Senior Social Worker to provide professional leadership, coordinate complex Mental Health Act assessments and support the continued development of an innovative service.

You will work within a fast-paced environment, manage workloads, and collaborate with statutory and voluntary agencies to ensure timely, safe safeguarding outcomes for individuals in crisis.

Qualifications

• Experience as AMHP within Mental Health Act contexts.
• Proven leadership in fast-paced, complex social work settings.
• Ability to coordinate multi-stakeholder assessments and triage enquiries.

Responsabilités

• Provide professional leadership for AMHPs and supervise practice standards.
• Undertake statutory Mental Health Act assessments and triage initial enquiries.
• Manage heavy workloads, maintain data and reporting, and collaborate with partner agencies.
• Coordinate and allocate referrals across the AMHP rota and support the team to timely conclusions.
• Build strong working relationships with the Council, partners and voluntary agencies.

Connaissances

AMHP experience

Leadership

Assessment coordination

Risk management

Formation

Social Work degree

Description du poste

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Essex County Council's dedicated Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) Service is undergoing an exciting period of growth and transformation, and we are seeking experienced and motivated professionals to join our dynamic and supportive team.

Operating within a countywide hub-and-spoke model, the service plays a critical role in delivering high-quality Mental Health Act assessments and interventions for Essex residents. Significant investment has enabled the expansion of our daytime AMHP provision, and we are recruiting six new AMHP posts to help shape the future of the service.

As an AMHP Senior Social Worker, you will work within a fast-paced environment, providing professional leadership, coordinating complex assessments, and contributing to the continued development of an innovative and responsive service.

Working Pattern

This role offers a 37-hour condensed working week across four days, promoting a positive work-life balance. Part-time applicants can also be considered (pay will be pro rata'd in line with agreed hours).

The Service Operates On a Seven-day Rota (excluding Public Holidays), Including One Weekend In Four And Two Late Shifts Per Month FTE Equivalent. Shift Patterns Are

• 09:00 - 19:00 (Assessing)
• 08:00 - 19:00 (Co-ordinating)
• 13:00 - 22:00 (Late shift)

Although these are the standard working arrangements, there may be occasions when flexibility is required to meet the needs of the service.

There is an expectation that successful candidates will be based within a dedicated AMHP Hub base at Danbury, Chelmsford when undertaking coordination duties and will be able to travel across Essex as required.

About The Service

The AMHP Service accepts referrals seven days a week between 9:00am and 5:00pm. Outside of these hours, and public holidays the service is supported by the Essex Emergency Duty Service (EDS), ensuring a seamless countywide response to urgent mental health needs.

This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a forward-thinking service that is investing in its workforce and committed to delivering outstanding outcomes for people experiencing mental health crises.

The Role

The Approved Mental Health Professional Service has a unique position in ensuring compliance with the statutory functions imposed upon the Local Authority by the Mental Health Act. The service will be responsible for delivering the AMHP rota. The service will undertake statutory assessments, triaging initial enquiries in line with statutory duties.

As a Senior Social Worker, you will be passionate and experienced in demonstrating expert and effective practice in complex situations often in pressurized environments. You will be able to manage workloads and support colleagues with complex cases, with an ability to mitigate high levels of risk. You will work collaboratively with statutory and non-statutory/voluntary agencies ensuring a joined-up approach.

You will have significant experience of social work, modelling good practice, triaging mental health act referrals, prioritizing responses, giving direction to others and providing expert advice and guidance.

Additionally, You Will Be Responsible For

• Providing supervision, specialist advice and professional expertise for AMHPs contributing to the development of practice standards.
• Accountable for assessments you undertake under the Mental Health Act.
• Working within the statutory legal framework, policy and guidance and determining when the threshold for statutory intervention has been reached and to carry out and manage the process of MHA assessments, identifying least restrictive options and acting as an autonomous professional consistent with legal and statutory obligations.
• Managing a complex workload, maintaining accurate and timely data, reports and presentations as required.
• Carrying out, coordinating and managing the process of Mental Health Act assessments, consistent with legal and statutory obligations working flexibly and at times outside the core operating hours of the team in accordance with demand.
• Conducting assessments under the Mental Health Act 1983 and plan responses which safeguard vulnerable adults, including intervention as required that may be beyond normal operating hours.
• Working collaboratively with the deputy team manager to coordinate, triage and allocate the incoming referrals to the service supporting and directing the wider AMHPs on the rota and assisting to bring their work to a satisfactory conclusion.
• Building strong effective working relationships across the Council, with partners and members of voluntary agencies.
• Delivering a high level of expertise in particular areas of practice and interest and lead on those areas.