Health & Justice Liaison and Diversion Practitioner

Integrated Care System; Uxbridge; On-site; GBP 53,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Un système de soins intégrés recherche un praticien en liaison et diversion pour travailler au sein d'une équipe dédiée, afin de prendre en charge des individus présentant des problèmes de santé mentale lors de leur interaction avec la justice. Le poste exige d'agir de manière autonome dans des environnements difficiles et de collaborer efficacement avec divers partenaires. Les candidats doivent être qualifiés en santé mentale et avoir une expérience significative dans le domaine des soins psychologiques.

Qualifications

• Qualification en soins de santé mentale avec enregistrement en cours.
• Au moins 12 mois d'expérience en milieu communautaire ou psychiatrique.
• Compétences dans le travail avec des jeunes et des enfants vulnérables.

Responsibilities

• Accepter les références des détenus et effectuer des évaluations sur des clients vulnérables.
• Assurer la communication des informations entre les professionnels de santé et la cour.
• Contribuer aux évaluations psychiatriques ordonnées par la cour.

Skills

Communication efficace

Évaluation psycho-sociale

Gestion du temps

Évaluation des risques

Education

Infirmier en santé mentale, travailleur social ou ergothérapeute

Formation continue et formation post-enregistrement

Job description

Go back Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Health & Justice Liaison and Diversion Practitioner

The closing date is 03 August 2025

The service will cover all ages and vulnerabilities, including youths in police custody. The post holder will be part of an established liaison and diversion service and work in partnership with health, social services and the criminal justice system, to ensure that individuals presenting with mental health problems or other vulnerabilities can have their needs addressed and be diverted into appropriate health care services as necessary.

You will work in a collaborative way with local community Mental Health Services, and other statutory/non-statutory agencies ensuring a high quality liaison and diversion service is provided to individuals. Unsocial working hours will be required for this post. Shifts will be based on a 7 day rota which all practitioners are expected to participate in. The post holder may on occasions be required to work across sites on any given day in order to ensure the service is covered.

Main duties of the job

To act as an autonomous practitioner in court and police detention cells. The post holder will also be expected to assess an individual's mental state and risk and within the context of the alleged offence and the criminal justice system, implement a care pathway for each individual.

The post holder will maintain a presence on the site they are working for the duration of their shift in order to be able to respond to referrals in a timely manner. It is the post holder's responsibility to check regularly if there is anyone to be seen in custody. If there is a need to leave the police custody suite, the post holder must leave a contact number with the custody staff and respond to calls.

In the absence of the youth justice liaison and diversion worker, the post holder will be expected to screen any youths in police custody during their shift in police stations. This will involve engaging with the young person and at times their guardians and depending on the screening outcomes, may involve making onward referrals including safeguarding, youth offending teams and CAMHS.

To undertake a full mental state assessment, risk assessment, and gather a background history for individuals with a variety of needs. These would include those with a serious mental illness or personality disorder and associated learning, social, personal, dependency and substance misuse issues who are in police custody suites and court detention.

About us

The service is funded through the NHS England Liaison and Diversion Programme. Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services aim to identify people who may have mental health issues, a learning disability, substance misuse issues or other vulnerabilities when they first come into contact with the criminal justice system.

This post will cover both Uxbridge Magistrates Court and Heathrow Police Custody Suite.

Please note: Candidates will need to submit an application for Metropolitan Police vetting clearance and have it approved before a contract can be agreed. The following is guidance we have from the Metropolitan Police regarding vetting which you should take into consideration before you complete an application for this post:

• Non-declaration of criminal convictions or Police involvement;I.E investigations even if no further action, warnings, cautions (No matter how old)
• County court judgements
• Less than 3-year Residency
• Defaults - No debt management plans in place.
• Convictions which resulted in imprisonment or suspended sentence

Also please note:

• Vetting applications will be returned if any of the details are omitted
• ALL family members, partners, co-residents and parents' partners must be provided
• Address history must run 5 years straight

Job responsibilities

To accept referrals from Custody Sergeants in the police custody suites, and in court, from Court cell area, the Bench, Council, Probation, DIP Team workers, solicitors, family or the defendant or any other Court user, who become aware of or have clients with a dual diagnosis or are presenting with a possible mental disorder. This is in addition to accepting referrals from in-patient services and CMHTs.

Undertake Court work with same day assessments on identified vulnerable clients, who appear over night from the custody suites and who have not been previously seen at the Police Station. To ensure that information is passed to the defence team and the Court Clerk in a manner in keeping with the information sharing protocol. Following the hearing to ensure that information concerning proceedings and the assessment is passed to the GP and other services involved with the client. Where remanded to prison to ensure that information is passed to the mental health in reach team or the reception at the Prison.

Where the Court orders a psychiatric report on the client then the Post Holder will assist in making the referral to the appropriate Doctor with a view to obtaining the assessment and report within the agreed time frame. The Post Holder will ensure that the copy of any report received by the Court with the permission of the Court and service user will be forwarded to the GP and mental health care professionals involved the clients care.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

• Qualified Registered Mental Nurse, Mental Health Social Worker or Occupational Therapist with current registration with the relevant professional body
• Substantial evidence of continuing professional development and post registration training.

Previous Experience

• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team.
• Post-registration experience, at least 12 months of which is experience of working in a community or forensic psychiatric setting at Band 6 or equivalent or above.
• Experience of crisis work and risk assessment.
• Experience of working in forensic psychiatry.
• Experience of the assessment of clients with drug/alcohol related problems and clients with a history of transience or homelessness.
• Experience in Liaison and Diversion.

Skills and knowledge

• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to make comprehensive psycho-social assessments and good report writing skills.
• Ability to make sound and safe risk assessments
• Evidence of effective time management and organisational skills.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team.
• Evidence of effective networking and liaison experience
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach that considers the needs of the whole person.
• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.
• Skills in assessing people with forensic history or need.
• Knowledge of current legislation relating to community mental health provision and forensic psychiatry
• Knowledge of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1884 and PACE Codes of Practice 2004.
• Ability to promote users' involvement.
• Experience of working with vulnerable children and young persons.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Uxbridge Magistrates Court and Heathrow Police Station

£53,751 to £60,651 a yearper annum inc HCAS (pro rata if P/T)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time,Part-time

Reference number

333-D-HJ-1836

Job locations

Uxbridge Magistrates Court and Heathrow Police Station