Mental Health Senior Practitioner/AMHP

The successful candidate will form part of the Senior Practitioner group in our Mental Health Social Care Team. We have a close knit management structure of Team Manager, Deputy Team Manager, and senior practitioners. The Senior Practitioners take the lead in specific areas of work, such as the team’s duty management, and in management and supervision of specific complex cases, Court of Protection Work, and Safeguarding.

You will be a qualified social worker and experienced at senior level. If not currently AMHP qualified, you will be willing and suitable to train as an AMHP in due course, as part of your career progression pathway.

You will provide case management of complex cases under the Care Act 2014, and safeguarding, including taking cases to the Court of Protection.

You will provide supervision of social workers, and practice education/ASYE supervision as needed in the team.

If you are a qualified AMHP you will undertake Mental Health Act assessments as part of the monthly duty AMHP rota, and act as a resource of knowledge and advice about the MHA to non-AMHP members of the team and the organisation and its partners.

Our Ideal Candidate, We work with adults whose primary need is their mental health. Our other areas of responsibility include working with people with autism, and those with drug/alcohol issues under the Care Act, and Safeguarding. We also have responsibility for young people transitioning into adulthood and thereby transitioning from children to adult services. Many of these have autism.

We work closely with our colleagues in the NHS mental health teams, and on mental health wards, as well as partners in primary care as well as a wide range of partnership organisation across the community.

The team is a large and enthusiastic group of professionals dealing with a diverse and fascinating portfolio of responsibilities. Interest in the work and enthusiasm are among the qualities we would value in the successful applicant.

The team incorporates the Royal Borough’s AMHP service, with 3 full time designated AMHPs. Senior practitioner/AMHPs, who also carry a caseload, undertake a set number of days on AMHP duty on the monthly rota. The team is currently situated on the site of Tolworth Hospital. Post covid we are operating a hybrid working model composed of working from home, and working in the office.

We are a large, friendly and supportive team, including a manager and a deputy manager, and ably supported by business support colleagues., Hiring managers are encouraged to ensure that their interview panel is diverse, and representative of a range of protected characteristics, to help remove unconscious bias and ensure candidates are treated fairly during the selection process. Some characteristics may not be obvious, but our panels are diverse wherever possible. We have a number of measures in place to inform and support our approach, including mandatory EDI and unconscious bias training for all staff, safer recruitment training for diverse panel members, engaging with our staff networks and encouraging allyship. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce., We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough. Our aim is to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and staff feel a sense of belonging. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, particularly Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently under-represented in our workforce.

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to thinking differently about disability and taking action to improve how we recruit, retain and develop disabled people. We guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role.

We offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are an accredited London Living Wage Employer and this means that everyone working at the Royal Borough of Kingston, regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers receive the London Living Wage. The real Living Wage is higher than the government’s minimum, or National Living Wage, and is an independently calculated hourly rate of pay that is based on the actual cost of living.

The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.

Important Information – Criminal Records

This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory result to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) helps employers make safer recruitment decisions and prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable groups, including children. It replaces the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA).

Job Profile

The successful candidate must have excellent knowledge of the Care Act 2014, as well as the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and other relevant legislation, and experience of applying this legislation.

As a qualified AMHP they will have detailed knowledge of the Mental Health Act. They will be able to manage the team’s duty function on days where they are rota’d as duty manager according to the team’s rota. Ideally, they will have experience of supervising colleagues, and giving direction in complex cases.

Must have excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing skills. Good IT skills will be an advantage.

Knowledge and experience of mental health, autism, and drug and alcohol problems in a statutory setting are essential.

Recent experience of working in a similar role in a local authority, and recent or current warranting as an AMHP would be desirable.

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

In addition we offer a modern and flexible working environment for our staff supported by our IT infrastructure, Google Chromebooks and Google Apps, which have acted as a key enabler for collaborative and streamlined working. We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits, some of which include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply)

• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston

• Flexible and agile working arrangements

• Comprehensive learning and development programme

• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres

• Interest free season ticket loans

• Local Government Pension Scheme

• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme

• Zip car scheme

• Free eye tests and contribution towards glasses

• Confidential wellbeing and counselling support

• Subsidised gym membership