Trainee AMHP (

County Hall, Newport and Agile Working

Grade 10, £33,563.00 to £36,307.00 per annum FT

Contact: AMHP Team Manager 01983 821000 Ext: 6640 or email Diane.Pragnell@iow.gov.uk

Vacancy Reference: 2023_166

Closing Date: 27/02/2023

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: 37 per week

Are you a social worker or allied health professional looking for a new challenge? Have you got a passion to promote the rights, dignity, and self-determination of individuals consistent with their own needs and wishes, to enable them to contribute to the decisions made affecting their quality of life and liberty? Then becoming an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) might be what you are looking for in your professional development.

Here on the Isle of Wight, Adult Social Care (ASC) are investing in the Approved Mental Health Professional Service as operational demand increases.

We are therefore seeking to appoint an AMHP trainee to join our team. This opportunity is open to Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Nurses or Psychologists who currently hold the relevant professional regulatory registration and have two years of post-qualifying professional experience preferably in Mental Health.

To support your learning and consolidate your practice, you will hold a small case load from the ASC Mental Health team, so you experience all aspects of the provisions we offer as a service and participate on the general duty rota.

The successful candidate will be appointed as a Social Worker Grade 10, on commencing the AMHP training you will be fully supported by another qualified AMHP who will act as your practice assessor. You will also have an opportunity to shadow the AMHPs during Mental Health Act assessments and participate in the AMHP desk duty.

The AMHP academic course is set at accredited master’s level; you will attend either Bournemouth University or Brighton University course which will consist of some university base attendance as well as remote learning. The course and travel will be financially supported by the Isle of Wight Council. We will be offering full support through your AMHP pathway and the academic course, however, there will be an expectation that once qualified you remain within the MH team to practise as an AMHP for a minimum of two years.

Upon your successful completion of the course, you will work towards being an authorised AMHP, you will then transfer to a pay grade 11 and will also receive an AMHP allowance which is a 3-year incremental payment starting at £2,000 for the first year increasing up to £5000 on the 3rd year.

If you are interested in working in the mental health sector and believe you can meet all the requirements to become an empathic AMHP who will be able to strongly advocate for the person receiving a Mental Health Act assessment, then we would like to hear from you.

Below are links which will offer you more in-depth knowledge on the role of an AMHP and the courses on offer:

https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/approved-mental-health-professional/

https://www.brighton.ac.uk/courses/study/approved-mental-health-practice-pgdip.aspx

https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/study/courses/ma-advanced-mental-health-practice

If you would like an informal discussion on any aspect of this role than please call Diane Pragnell Mental Health Team Manager 01983 821000 Ext:2369 or email Diane.Pragnell@iow.gov.uk

Find out more about working for the Isle of Wight Council and living on the Island here.

A relocation scheme of up to £8,000 is available to new employees subject to qualifying criteria. Further details are available upon request.

The Isle of Wight Council protects its employees from discrimination and this is supported by the Unacceptable Behaviour Policy, Employee Code of Conduct and Behaviours Framework. We actively promote the diversity of our workforce and we provide flexible working options (where appropriate) to support the different needs of our employees.

The Isle of Wight Council is an equal opportunities employer, who is proud to encourage applications from all cultures, backgrounds and abilities to better reflect the diversity within our local community. In addition to this, we are also a Disability Confident Employer. Along with a number of other areas of commitments, this means that providing you meet the basic essential requirements of the advertised role and have declared yourself as disabled, you will be offered an opportunity for an interview within the council.

If you have difficulty completing your online application or if you need further information about how to apply, telephone 01983 823134 or email callcentre@iow.gov.uk. Please note only applications completed and submitted online by the closing date will be accepted.

We often receive a high volume of applicants for our vacancies. If you do not hear from the recruiting manager within three weeks of the closing date, we regret that your application will not have been successful on this occasion. If unsuccessful, we actively encourage you to revisit our job pages and apply to alternate posts that may be suitable.

Closing Date: 27/02/2023

Interview Date: 10/03/2023