Job Req ID: 18081

Senior Practitioner (AMHP Qualified) - Emergency Duty Service

Permanent, Full Time

£45,217 to £54,395 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Fixed-base worker

Closing Date: 17th November 2024

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.

The Emergency Duty Service

Who are we?

We are the Emergency Duty Service, and we work outside of normal working hours, including at night, weekend’s and bank holidays. The service comprises of a team of experienced Managers and Practitioners all of whom are qualified and experienced in all aspects of social work and we are all Approved Mental Health professionals to enable us to meet requests for emergency assessments under the Mental Health Act. We also have a team of experienced advisors who screen all calls and gather information and provide advice or re-direct the calls to the Social Work team. We all work on a 7 day’s shift rota and respond to emergency situations outside of normal office hours for Essex and provide the same service to Southend Borough Council under contract. We have a small support team who work during office hours to ensure a smooth handover to day services and are the link with the wider organisation and partner agencies for any issues that arise during normal daytime hours.

What is the best part of your job?

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.

Comments from one of our AMHP Senior Practitioners

“I applied for the senior position with EDS 4 years ago, but I did not fully know what was expected of me. I was happy to move on from being a Mental Health practitioner to a generic team and a whole world of knowledge and experience was waiting for me to explore and gain. I was aware that it was going to be a challenging field and role as I did not have child protection experience but when I joined the team I was welcomed and given time and space to learn and grow further. Gradually my confidence in child protection increased, and day by day I learned new things, learnt to work in a small but very compact team, that cared and looked after each other.

I would say that no shift is the same, we work together as a team, and we grow stronger and stronger with each challenge thrown at us. I would encourage any colleague to apply for this role as this will be very exciting and a great opportunity to apply your own skills and knowledge in practice and learn new ones in the process. You will be supported and encouraged to exceed in your career, no doubt. We all work together as a team and are passionate about our job.”

The Experience You Will Bring

• 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.

To read more about us please visit: Adult Social Care

Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video

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.

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.

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

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

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