Approved Mental Health Professional - Emergency Duty Service

Bracknell Forest; Bracknell; On-site; GBP 56,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority in the UK seeks a qualified Approved Mental Health Professional for a full-time role in the Berkshire Emergency Duty Service. This emergency service requires delivering vital mental health interventions after hours. The successful candidate will engage in multi-disciplinary teamwork and community interaction, ensuring the well-being and legal rights of individuals in crisis. Competitive salary and extensive career development opportunities provided.

Benefits

28 days annual leave

Local government pension scheme

Career development opportunities

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Must be a qualified AMHP with commitment to values and safeguarding.
• Experience in high-pressure situations required.
• Strong understanding of legislation and codes of practice.

Responsibilities

• Manage out-of-hours social care requirements.
• Deliver assessments and interventions for at-risk individuals.
• Participate in reflective practice.

Skills

Knowledge of Mental Health Act

Report writing skills

Communication skills

Flexibility

Decision-making under pressure

Education

Registered Approved Mental Health Professional

Tools

Computer literacy

Job description

£56,731 – £60,149 per year, inclusive of 20% responsibility allowance, £729 London Weighting & £963 Essential Car User Allowance

Location:

Contract:

Permanent

Working Pattern:

Full Time/Flexible Hours/Part Time

Hours:

This is a full-time role working 37 hours per week on a rota basis, although we will consider part-time hours..

DBS Check:

Closing Date:

05/01/2026 at 23:59

Reference:

People/25/328476

We are recruiting an Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP) to join the Berkshire Emergency Duty Service (EDS), hosted by Bracknell Forest Council. This full-time, rota-based role (37 hours per week, with part-time considered) offers the opportunity to deliver high-quality statutory mental health and social care interventions outside normal working hours, supported by an experienced management team in a rewarding and valued role.

Salary: The salary quoted consists of a base salary of £54,495 - £57,879 per year, 20% Responsibility Allowance, £729 London Weighting and £963 Essential Car User Allowance (pro rata for part time hours ).

About you...

You are a qualified and registered Approved Mental Health Professional with a strong commitment to professional values and safeguarding. You bring confidence, resilience and sound judgement to complex and often high‑pressure situations.

You will:

• Have a solid working knowledge of all relevant Mental Health Act (MHA), Social legislation and relevant Codes of Practice.
• Be a qualified AMHP and registered with the appropriate professional body (e.g. Social Work England, HCPC, NMC).
• 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 will 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...

Berkshire Emergency Duty Service is a well‑established, specialist out‑of‑hours service with a strong reputation for effective safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, supported by positive feedback from Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Our multidisciplinary team includes Approved Mental Health Professionals, Senior Adults’ and Children’s Social Workers, Adult Safeguarding Care Coordinators and Call Screening Officers. Working closely with health partners, the police and other key stakeholders, we provide responsive support to service users of all ages experiencing social care or mental health crises.

Our AMHPs deliver a high‑quality, responsive out‑of‑hours service, triaging incoming work, responding to Mental Health Act assessment requests and ensuring that service users’ legal rights are upheld. While the role is challenging, you will be well supported by experienced managers, access expert guidance whenever needed, and benefit from ongoing learning and development opportunities.

We are proud of the care we provide, the partnerships we build and the positive impact we have on Berkshire residents. We are equally committed to continuous improvement, encouraging staff to share ideas, shape service development and grow professionally within a supportive, collaborative environment. This is an opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting difference.

Key responsibilities...

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.

Interviews will be held the week commencing 12 th January 2026.

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

Tel.: [phone] (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.

Professional affiliation 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.

Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

How to apply

Please apply online via the link provided.

Please include a personal statement with your CV specifying why you are applying for this vacancy.