*NEW* AMHP Conference 13 December 2024

BOOK NOW 80% face to face tickets already sold**

We are very pleased to announce that our next  AMHP conference will be held on 13th December 2024.  This one-day conference will explore issues pertinent to AMHP practice. It can contribute towards the statutory requirement of 18 hours relevant training per year.

Venue: Central London WC2A (exact address confirmed with ticket purchase) AND online via Zoom

Start: 10:00 (Registration from 09:15)

End: 16:15

Price:  IN PERSON TICKET £195 plus VAT per ticket   -  fee includes refreshments and a sandwich lunch along with a paper conference pack and a PDF certificate.

ONLINE TICKET ONLY £150 plus VAT per ticket  - fee includes access via Zoom, a PDF conference pack and a PDF certificate.

Conference details will be emailed direct to delegate(s) upon completion of their booking.  10% discount for groups of 10 or more in one booking. - email events@edgetraining.org.uk

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Simon Foster:  Accio Beds! Magical thinking and the AMHP role

Simon Foster is a freelance legal consultant and trainer specialising in mental health, mental capacity, social care and human rights law. He spent several years as a local authority solicitor before being appointed as head of the legal unit at Mind. In 2004-5 he helped redraft the Mental Health Act Code of Practice and in 2009 he worked on the Ordinary Residence guidance for the Department of Health.

From 2011-12 he was interim Head of Legal Support Services at Sense, the deafblind charity. Simon has also taught social care and childcare law to DipSW students at Middlesex and South Bank Universities, and incapacity law to LLM students at Queen Mary University of London.

Dr Camilla Parker: Children, young people and Tier 4 admissions: law, policy and practice

Dr Camilla Parker KC (Hon) is an independent consultant, researcher and trainer specialising in mental health law, policy and human rights. She is the author of Adolescent Mental Health Care and the Law (LAG 2020). She is a solicitor (non-practising) and a long-standing member of the Law Society’s Mental Health and Disability Committee. Camilla is an Honorary KC (in recognition of her contribution to the fields of mental health and mental capacity law, in particular the development of law and policy relating to the mental health care of children and young people).

Dr Suyog Dhakras: The role of the section 12(2) approved doctor and the medical recommendation in contributing to meeting the patient’s needs.

Suyog Dhakras is a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist  working in Southampton for  the Hampshire & IoW Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. His clinical work is in community specialist CAMHS, Early Intervention in Psychosis service, and community Forensic CAMHS. He is responsible for ensuring quality assurance for the education and training of undergraduate medical students and post-graduate doctors in training (from Psychiatry and other medical specialties) across Hampshire and Isle of Wight as the co-DME (Director of Medical Education) along with another colleague in the organisation.

Suyog's special interest has been in the area of medico-legal frameworks in decision making for children and young people in healthcare. He has been awarded the LLM in Legal Aspects of Medical Practice from Cardiff University. He is a medical member (CAMHS Panel) of the Mental Health Tribunal (England). He is involved in providing training for CAMHS and Paediatrics colleagues - especially in the context of the medicolegal frameworks involved in decision making and treatment provision for children and young people at the interface of CAMHS & Paediatrics. He is the national specialist advisor for quality assurance in education and training for the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the representative for the CAP (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) Faculty of RCPsych to the RCPCH (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health).

Nick Perry, Dr Jill Hemmington and Dr Kelly Alexander) : 'Putting the hope back in’: Exploring the use of Solution Focused approaches in AMHP interventions

Nick Perry has been practising as an AMHP continuously since 2007 and is currently seconded as a practice lead. He has taught on the Brighton University AMHP training programme since 2020. He trained with BRIEF between 2021-2022 and was accredited by the UK Association for Solution Focused Practice in 2023. He is currently editing a book for Routledge on SFP and mental health crisis due to be published in 2025.

Dr Kelly J Alexander is the Subject Lead for Social Work and course lead for the Post-Graduate Diploma in Approved Mental Health Practice at the University of Brighton. Her background is in working with women in prison in the third sector and mental health and forensic services as a qualified social worker. Kelly qualified as an AMHP in 2005. Her PhD explored the emotional impact of assessing and managing risk on mental health professionals working in community mental health services.

Dr Jill Hemmington is Course Leader for university qualifying and post-qualifying (CPD) AMHP education and training which are tailored according to workforce need. She qualified as an Approved Social Worker in 2000, has acted as Practice Assessor and she continues to practice as an AMHP. She has completed a PhD in relation to AMHP work and she now supports the AMHP research agenda in various ways. Jill co-developed the Critical AMHP Blog and she writes for publication on AMHP research and critical reflection.

Louise Blakley : Walking the line from AMHP to researcher - evidence and reflections on coercion communication and compassion in MHA assessments

Louise Blakley brings over two decades of hands-on experience as a social worker and Approved Mental Health Professional to her pioneering research career. Driven by a passion to improve Mental Health Act(MHA) assessments for service users, Louise led the first comprehensive study on their experiences. Now as the first social worker awarded a health based NIHR Doctoral Fellowship, her research will use a co-design approach to develop practical, user-centred intervention after an MHA assessment. A strong advocate for integrating practice and research, Louise mentors mental health practitioners pursuing research careers and co-edits the Critical AMHP Blog to share insights and foster dialogue.

Christine Hutchison : Chair

Christine is a Director at Edge Training.

Questions? Call 07341 277487 or email events@edgetraining.org.uk