Pembrokeshire County Council – Community Mental Health Team

Introduction

In the Community Mental Health Team we work with citizens aged 18 and over who are in need of support as a result of their complex mental health challenges. Although there are only five social workers in the team, we work in collaboration with a wide array of health professionals including: psychiatrists, nurses, and occupational therapists. In addition, we also work closely with colleagues within third sector organisations and social enterprises.

The Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 provides the legislative basis for our work; however, we are also guided by the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the Mental Health Act 1983. Several of the workers in the team are Approved Mental Health Professionals (or AMPHs as they are more commonly known). In taking on this role, practitioners undertake mental health act assessments to determine whether a citizen requires care in a specialised hospital setting.

The support that we provide is citizen lead; as such, we recognise the individual’s lived experience as paramount and we work with individuals to build towards their own concept of recovery. For some this may mean returning to work, for others it may mean living as independently as possible within a residential setting.

This online resource is designed to aid social workers and social care professionals in their day-today practice; to support their understanding of legislation and case law; and to help them navigate the evolving social work landscape.