EDS Bracknell (Hybrid)
Permanent, Flexible hours, Full time
Enhanced DBS check required
£68,006 - £70,472 inclusive of 20% Responsibility Allowance and London Weighting
37 hours
We are seeking a highly experienced professional in mental health services with exceptional leadership and team management capabilities. The ideal candidate will demonstrate expertise in coordinating and guiding a multidisciplinary team of practitioners, even in high-pressure environments.
As the Lead AMHP, you should bring a comprehensive understanding of the Mental Health Act, related legislation, and associated policies, alongside a strong grasp of current best practices in mental health and social care. This role requires a collaborative approach to leadership while maintaining the legal autonomy and accountability intrinsic to the position.
The successful candidate will excel in managing and supporting a team of seasoned practitioners, fostering effective partnerships, making sound decisions under pressure, and ensuring accountability across the board. A steadfast commitment to social work values and principles is fundamental to this role.
You will:
- Possess a current AMHP warrant.
- Be part of a dedicated leadership team that values collaboration, professional growth, and the well-being of both clients and staff.
- Coordinate the AMHP arrangements in the service as well as undertaking Mental Health Act assessments in a range of settings, including hospital, custody and other community settings.
- Have a solid working knowledge of all relevant Mental Health Act, Social Care legislation and relevant Codes of Practice.
- Be able to work flexibly and effectively within multi-disciplinary and inter-agency environments as well as a robust understanding of how to apply leadership and the social perspective when working in a pressured generic social work environment.
- Have good computer literacy and excellent report writing skills.
Join a service that truly values your skills and expertise. This is a dynamic and engaging workplace where you can take pride in delivering high-quality work, backed by strong organisational support.
About our team...
We care about the wellbeing of Berkshire residents and our dedicated out of hours social care provision helps us to protect some of our most vulnerable residents. We are a specialist team of Approved Mental Health Professionals, Senior Adults and Childrens Social Workers, Adult Safeguarding Care Coordinators and Call Screening Officers.
Based on partnership with our health colleagues, the police and other stakeholders, we work with service users across all age groups to assist those experiencing a social care and/or mental health crisis. The Lead AMHP role is a challenging one but you will have excellent support from the management team as well as expert guidance on hand whenever you need it. You will also have learning opportunities and space to share your ideas about how we can continue to maintain our excellent service delivery.
Berkshire Emergency Duty Service provides unique out of hours emergency social care for the whole of Berkshire. We are proud of our community, the care we give, the services we provide and the effective collaborative networks we create in doing so, but we are also committed to continuous development. As such, we ensure that staff have the support and resources they need to do their job well and to help define the way we improve our service delivery. There will always be room for you to share your ideas and you are encouraged to take ownership. We provide you with opportunities to learn, develop and progress within a strong team, with excellent management relationships. This chance is yours, to make a lasting impact.
This is an exciting time to join our recently remodelled service. Berkshire EDS is considered as attentive and effective in safeguarding the children and vulnerable adults of Berkshire, with positive feedback from both Ofsted and CQC. Our key obligation is to provide professional support in the out of hours to promote the welfare of service users within our statutory accountabilities and wider policies. The Lead AMHP role involves coordinating the work of the AMHP workforce and working in a generic model of an all age out of hours social care service.
Key responsibilities...
- Oversee the delivery of high-quality emergency mental health assessments and interventions during out-of-hours periods, ensuring the service operates effectively and meets the needs of individuals in crisis.
- Manage and support the EDS AMHP team, maintaining adherence to the Mental Health Act and all relevant legislation, while ensuring best practices are consistently applied.
- Provide strong leadership during emergencies, guiding the team in making sound decisions under pressure and maintaining a focus on safe and effective care.
- Foster the professional development of the EDS AMHP team, promoting continuous learning and skill enhancement.
- Contribute as a member of the operational management team to the planning and delivery of services that improve outcomes for vulnerable adults, children, young people, and their families, with a thorough understanding of the relevant legal framework.
- Undertake shift lead responsibilities as part of the operational management team, coordinating and managing evening, weekend, and bank holiday shifts on a rotational basis.
- Collaborate with partner agencies to enhance service delivery, ensuring the provision of a safe, efficient, and effective emergency duty service.
Our benefits...
- 28 days* annual leave increasing to 33 days* after 3 years’ continuous service.
- The opportunity to buy up to 10 additional days* annual leave per year and sell 5 days.
- Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
- An inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks.
- Local government pension scheme.
- Life insurance cover (linked to the pension scheme)
- Sports and social club.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
- Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
- A great office location next to travel links and Bracknell Forest’s thriving town centre.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing.
- Staff dental and health plans.
- Discounted leisure centre and gym membership.
- Supermarket discount.
*(pro rata for part time).
Our values...
At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us. Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities. We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you’re excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we’d love to hear from you.
We are committed to ensuring an inclusive recruitment process for all applicants. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview, please let us know by contacting recruitment@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. We will work with you to support you throughout the process.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on 25th January 2025.
Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.
We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.
Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.
Want to ask us a question?
For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:
Dorcas Nyabunze, EDS Head of Service
or
Shelli Read, Business Manager
Tel.: 01344 355050 (please note this phone number is only available between 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.)
At Bracknell Forest we champion equality, diversity and inclusion. At Bracknell Forest Council, we are always learning, ambition and inclusive. Please see our candidate pack for more details.
Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.
We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.
Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
No agencies please.
Lead_AMHP_EDS_JD_PS_Nov2024.pdf