Approved Mental Health Professional - Emergency Duty Service (19 hrs p/w)
Please apply online via the link provided.
Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.
We currently have a vacancy for an experienced Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) to join the Berkshire Emergency Duty Serices (EDS), hosted by Bracknell Forest Council. This is a part-time role working 19 hours per week on a rota basis.
At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance.
About you...
As an Approved Mental Health Professional in the Berkshire Emergency Duty Service, you will be part of a team where your skills and knowledge are valued. This is a vibrant place to work, where you take ownership of the high-quality work you do with organisational support.
You will:
- Possess a current AMHP warrant.
- 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 the social perspective when working with people who have mental health disorders.
- Have good computer literacy and excellent report writing skills.
- Have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to analyse complex information towards effective risk management.
The ideal candidate should be proficient in organising and managing allocated work, making defensible decisions under pressure, and appropriately challenging others including members of the public and other professionals.
A strong commitment to upholding social work values is also required.
About the team...
This is an exciting time to join our recently remodelled service. Berkshire Emergency Duty Service is considered as attentive and effective in safeguarding the children and vulnerable adults of Berkshire, with positive feedback from both Ofsted and CQC.
We are a specialist team of Approved Mental Health Professionals, Senior Adults and Children’s Social Workers, Adult Safeguarding Care Coordinators and Call Screening Officers. Working 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.
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 AMHP role involves triaging incoming work, dealing with complex situations and prioritising support interventions efficiently.
Our AMHPs provide an excellent responsive service out of hours to people in need of mental health support who require assessment under the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983. AMHPs also ensure that the legal rights of service users are protected.
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.
The 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.
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.
Key responsibilities...
- Coordinate and undertake Mental Health Act assessments in a range of settings, including hospital, custody and other community settings.
- Manage and prioritise social care requirements for out of hours cases.
- To deliver an emergency service for assessment and action when adults and children are referred as being at immediate risk.
- Working within a team whilst exercising the professional legal autonomy and accountability linked to the role.
- Be the key person for expert advice and quality interventions.
- Actively participate in reflective practice groups session.
- Provide unique out of hours emergency social care for the whole of Berkshire.
- Contribute to the development of policies and procedures relating to the work of an AMHP, adult and children social care and participate on relevant multi agency working parties when required.
- Deliver an emergency service for assessment and action when adults and children are referred as being at immediate risk.
Our benefits...
- 28 days* annual leave increasing to 33 days* after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days*.
- Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
- Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
- Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
- Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
- Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.
*(pro rata for part time)
Find out more about all our benefits or see the candidate pack.
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 are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.
Reasonable adjustments...
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. Find out more about reasonable adjustments.
Interview date
Interviews will be held on 11th September 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:
Shelli Read, Emergency Duty Service Business Manager
or
Lisa Holmes, AMHP Lead
Tel.: 01344 355050 (please note this phone number is only available between 9.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m.)
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.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.
Social Work England registration fees can be claimed back from the Council.
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.
Salary range
- £68,097 - £69,454 per year