To Carry out Specialist Assessments in Collaboration with Other Professionals

Job title:Social Worker/Approved Mental Health Professional / Directorate: People
Post number: / Division:Community Mental Health
Grade: 9 / Section/team:
Overall purpose of Job:
To plan and provide an effective range of specialist social work interventions for working age Adults or Older people or Adults with Learning Difficulties or younger people who are experiencing their first episode or individual who are known to mental health services and their families and carers.
To carry out specialist assessments in collaboration with other professionals and where appropriate to undertake responsibilities under the Mental Health legislation and associated health and social care legislation, policy and codes of practice.
The post holder will also be responsible for a caseload of service users with complex mental health needs, including Care Coordination, within a defined service area.
Main Responsibilities:

To carry out specialist assessments in collaboration with other professionals

where appropriate within level of competence to undertake responsibilities under the
Mental Health legislation and associated health and social care legislation, policy and
codes of practice

The post holder will provide specialised advice to colleagues, managers and partner agencies in relation mental health issues and where appropriate to the application of mental health law. They will also provide practice supervision to less experienced qualified staff and to peers, and provide practice placement supervision for trainee SW’s & AMHPs

To undertake duties under the Mental Health Act 1983 and associated legislation, including the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and NHS and Community Care Act 1990
To undertake duties under the Mental Health Act 1983 including participation in the locality wide AMHP daytime rota.
To fulfil all the expected assessment and casework responsibilities pertaining to service users with complex needs as a full member of the clinical team, including undertaking assessments of complex need, formulating, implementing, co-ordinating and reviewing plans for the ongoing care/crisis care of service users, promoting a holistic approach to maximising recovery and social inclusion.
To work as a member of the multi disciplinary team in the assessment of complex need, formulation and implementation of risk assessment and risk management
To lead and implement clinical practice guidelines, standards and protocols, ensuring the highest quality service user experience,
To work closely with families and carers to effectively provide interventions, information and support which enhances social inclusion, underpinned by Wellness and Recovery Action Planning
To undertake joint working with care coordinators on a small number of complex cases, particularly where social care needs or the use of mental health legislation is under consideration
To maintain and collate accurate clinical records on both paper and on the Trust and/or Local Authority computerised system, including the maintenance of electronic case records
To be committed to and involved in the development of the service through participation in education and in service training.
Contributes to the development and implementation of policies and procedures relevant to their area of work

Knowledge, Skill and Experience:

Relevant qualification is necessary BSc SW/CQSW/DipSW/CSS/NQSW/PQ consolidation/ AMHP qualification/practice teaching award
Current registration with the HCPC
Current AMHP approval with the LSSA
Able to undertake complex assessments and provide care co-ordination to adults and their carers.
Ability to deal effectively and in a non-confrontation way with challenging behaviours from service users, carers, staff, colleagues and other stake holders
Ability to work with complex issues involving service users and carers, especially where there are conflicting demands and tight deadlines where difficult situations can bring about conflicting priorities
Experienced in the completion of agreed care plans to required quality and able to oversee the completion of service user care plans by other less experience members of the team
In depth knowledge of: Mental Health Act 1983, associated legislation and related codes of practice to adults and community care.
Able to analyse changes in the law, code of practice and best practice guidelines and apply to decision-making process
Comprehensive knowledge of a range of services available to meet the assessed needs of service users and carers to as an alternative to hospital admission.
Experience of working with adults who have assessed needs within the health and social care setting and knowledge of relevant policies and procedures.
Able to design relevant care plans and collaboratively implement complex packages of care within the eligibility criteria.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working multi agency relationships and actively engage them in the assessment, and care planning activity.
Able to supervise and develop staff and students including AMHP students.
Ability to use specific information technology, including word processing, databases, emails etc.
A working knowledge of legislation with regard to safeguarding adults and children and protecting people’s property, finances.
Ability to engage with Continual Professional Development, including keeping up to date with changes in Mental Health Act and legislation and case law developments
A working knowledge of Continuing Health Care criteria.

Creativity and innovation:

Working in partnership with other agencies, particularly health, the voluntary and community sector to seek creative and innovative ways of meeting need particularly where an individuals liberty maybe at stake, which engenders a culture of prevention and well-being.
Advising and giving information to colleagues, service users, carers and their family in a format, which are useable, understandable, and acceptable.
Proactive approach to the development of alternative ways of provide a safe service to those individuals who are most vulnerable.
Present written and verbal reports to the First Tier Tribunal and Hospital Managers
In the AMHP role, to present verbal and written application to Magistrate Court e.g. section 135(1)

Contacts and Relationships:

To undertake complex assessments commensurate with level of competence, where the Service user is acutely mentally ill and where there maybe significant barriers to understanding due to the nature of the illness, high expressed emotion and resistance to the process
Develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of agencies involved in assessments, care planning and review of care.
Contact with Service users, carers and family who present with high levels of distress as appropriate in any given service area
Contact and co-operation with locally based health teams, i.e. GP’s, District Nurses, Community Psychiatric Nurses, professionals allied to health (Physio, OT etc)
Contacts with voluntary and community sector partnerships in terms of both direct service provision and signposting people to more appropriate community resources.
Present written and verbal reports to the First Tier Tribunal and Hospital Managers
Effectively communicate information regarding social care issues, mental health and mental health law, including issues relating to s.117 aftercare, mental capacity, NHS& CC Act 1990 to staff groups within the organisation and across directorates.
The law requires the AMHP to ‘interview in a suitable manner’ meaning that all barriers must be overcome or minimised, involving the use of interpreters, advocates or other aids to communication in the assessment process.
To co-ordinate Mental Health Act assessments, asserting the AMHP role and instructing other parties, including consultant psychiatrists, General Practitioners and other mental health workers, carers, police and ambulance officers and ward staff.
Present cases to legal representatives where matter requires the decision of the court, such as displacement of the nearest relative, within level of competence.
In the AMHP role, to present verbal and written application to Magistrate Court e.g. section 135(1)
Communicate complex information regarding social care issues, mental health and mental health law, including issues relating to s.117 aftercare, mental capacity, NHS& CC Act 1990 to staff groups within the organisation and across directorates.

Decision Making:

To gather information from service users, carers, relatives, mental health colleagues and others to inform the assessment process.
Assessment of high levels of risk and formulation of robust risk management plans involving a number of parties to enable alternatives to hospital admission,
Care planning decisions in the management of complex care plans.

Management of complex caseload in liaison with senior staff and multi-disciplinary teams where required.
Provide services to meet assessed need, balancing risk with personal freedom and choice.
Manage and prioritise a complex caseload and able to make decisions relation to risk and safety issues.
Innovative use of statutory, community and voluntary services to meet assessed need
Able to undertake risk assessments and make on the spot decisions committing services to ensure safety of service users.
Assist services users in discharging their responsibilities with regard to Direct Payments and Individual budgets.

Ability to analyse information in the legal context of the AMHP role and making plans for MHA intervention.
To analyse changes in the law, code of practice and best practice guidelines and apply to decision-making process
Assessment of high levels of risk and formulation of robust risk management plans involving a number of parties to enable alternatives to hospital admission,

Freedom to Act

The Mental Health Act 1983 requires AMHP’s to make independent decisions, interpreting the law, codes of practice and associated guidance, without the direction of their managers or others involved in the assessment process. Advice on practice and legal interpretation may be available from the social work consultant but the AMHP retains sole responsibility for their decision.
An AMHP will exercise a high degree of professional autonomy and guide the practice of others
An AMHP will Act as a role model to widely influence those working with mental health legislation across the organisation and geographical areas

Responsibility for Resources:

Sole responsibility for mobile phone. £50

Sole responsibility for lone working device. £1000 approx

Individual responsibility for the safety and security of equipment, tools and materials removed from the site in order to carry out the role and tasks of the post. £100

Spending on average 60% of time engaged in work away from the base.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work Demands:

Respond to changing situations and deliver intense and variable levels of support to service users on a daily basis.

Respond and deliver support to carers as appropriate.

Changes in demand and reprioritisation of workload to accommodate clients changing needs and AMHP statutory obligations.

Changes in deadlines to meet demands of clients, carers, management and organisation.

Responding to emergencies/crisis situations involving service users within the team.

Ensure that unmet need is identified and processed appropriately

Maintaining accurate up to date clinical records on both manually and on the computerised system, including the maintenance of contemporaneous electronic case records.
Ensure that Information governance and data protection are adhered to
Maintaining professional standards as per the HCPC code of conduct

Physical Demands:

To work in volatile, high risk situations where there may be risk of violence and the need to deploy strategies to respond to this

Able to travel across and outside the organisation in undertaking the duties of the AMHP role

Working Conditions:

Both office and community work involved. Working with clients and carers in community venues and their own homes. Some work in poor housing conditions inevitable. Office base (40%) community (60%).

Work Context:

Work involves some risk to personal safety and the safety of others arising from implications associated with visits to service users in their own homes, particularly where the service users mental health is deteriorating.
Communicating information that people may not wish to hear may also be a potential risk to personal safety.
Lone working applies.

Position in organisation:
Indicate how many staff the post is directly accountable for: 0

Does the postholder manage the posts. No

OR
Does the postholder supervise the posts *Yes
*Some on the job training and checking of work, eg to students
Are posts in more than one location? Yes
Is the supervision/management shared with another post in the structure? Yes
Please indicate which post(s) ______

Note:

Post holders will be expected to be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their post and may be asked to perform other duties, which reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility. This job description is provided for guidance only and does not form part of the contract of employment.

Date of Job Description…………………………….

Date copy sent to Post holder…………………………….

Corporate Services Cabinet Member – 20thDecember 2010, Updated – 1st April 2011 Page 1 of 9