Practitioner - Emergency Duty Service

Essex County Council; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Essex County Council is seeking an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) to join a team delivering urgent mental health assessments under the Mental Health Act. The post requires flexible, out-of-hours availability and mobility across Essex to support vulnerable adults and families.

You will work with experienced AMHPs and support staff, on a 6-week rolling rota that includes evenings, weekends, bank holidays and Christmas/New Year periods.

Qualifications

• Social Work Degree or equivalent and Social Work England registration as a qualified Social Worker.
• Approved Mental Health Professional status under the Mental Health Act (1983) (as amended).
• Experience of direct work with children and families; child protection investigation experience preferred.
• Experience of working with vulnerable adults.
• Experience of working in a Duty Team.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage workload.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to engage carers and children.
• Knowledge of Community Care practice and multi-agency assessment/care management for older/vulnerable clients.
• Commitment to anti-oppressive practice and a flexible, team-based approach.

Responsibilities

• Respond to urgent requests for assessments under the Mental Health Act.
• Work on a 7-day rota including evenings and weekends.
• Travel across Essex to meet operational needs.
• Co-ordinate with the Social Work team and partner agencies; provide case support.
• Support out-of-hours services and ensure continuity of crisis care.

Skills

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Open to flexible working

Ability to work under pressure

Empower children and carers

Education

Social Work Degree or equivalent

Social Work England registration

Job description

Our team is made up of experienced Managers and Practitioners who are qualified across all areas of social work. All team members are Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs), enabling us to respond to urgent requests for assessments under the Mental Health Act. We are supported by a dedicated team of advisors who handle incoming calls, gather key information, and provide initial advice or direct enquiries to the Social Work team as appropriate. Working on a 7-day rota, we respond to emergency situations across Essex and deliver services to Southend Borough Council. A small daytime support team ensures smooth handovers to day services and maintains strong links with partner agencies. This role is based at in Chelmsford with travel required across the county to meet wherever you may be required. Flexibility is essential, as you will work on a 6-week rolling rota that includes evenings, weekends, bank holidays, and key periods such as Christmas and New Year. This role will require working 4 weekends out of 6. There is an additional 15% flat rate allowance based on the basic salary and a £2,400 AMHP payment with this role. We are happy to consider job share options with individuals., We find it rewarding to be able to help and re‑assure vulnerable adults and children out of hours and to provide an effective service for those situations that cannot safely wait until the next working day, and we aim to provide stability to crisis situations where required. It is also rewarding to know that we provide advice and support to other professionals who are also working out of hours in emergency situations., The role requires you to be mobile throughout a wider operational area including travelling around the county of Essex and beyond, transporting service users and their belongings and to be able to do so in an emergency. Driving licence and car or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means is essential. Why Essex? As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we're committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you. In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site. Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We're committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We're also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying. Once you've secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs. At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone. As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

• Social Work Degree or equivalent and Social Work England registration as a qualified Social Worker.
• Applicants must be qualified as an Approved Mental Health Professional under the 1983 Mental Health Act (as amended).
• To have experience of direct work with children and families and preferably to have experience of child protection investigation work.
• Experience and knowledge of work with vulnerable adults.
• Experience of working in a Duty Team.
• An ability to work under pressure and to organise practice workload effectively.
• An ability to communicate effectively in writing and orally in a style appropriate to the context.
• An ability to empower children and their carers to enable their full participation in work undertaken.
• Knowledge of current Community Care practice and multi agency systems of Assessment and Care Management for Older People and vulnerable adults.
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant policy and recent research findings across all client specialisms.
• A commitment to anti-oppressive behaviour, practice and management.
• The willingness and ability to work in an open manner as part of a team, with a commitment to sharing and working alongside staff in your own and other organisations whilst at the same time recognising own management responsibilities.
• An ability to approach your work and duties in a culture of flexibility.