Liaison and Diversion Practitioner - Criminal Justice Team

Oxleas; Dartford; In loco; GBP 46.000 - 54.000; Tempo pieno

Descrizione del lavoro

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Liaison and Diversion Practitioner to join the Criminal Justice Team in Dartford. Band 6, fixed-term 10 months, 37.5 hours per week, based at Bracton Centre.

You will provide specialist forensic mental health expertise within police custody and courts, lead clinical governance, and develop pathways of care across the justice system, ensuring high standards of care and confidentiality.

Competenze

• Specialist experience working with vulnerable groups.
• Ability to work autonomously within NHS teams.
• Experience in facilitating assessments and formulating outcomes.

Mansioni

• Provide specialist knowledge on forensic mental health within the criminal justice system, including police stations and courts.
• Lead the team to ensure high-quality mental health care and supervise staff.
• Prepare clinical reports initiating pathways of care across courts, custody, agencies and prisons.
• Maintain knowledge of relevant legislation and adhere to Trust policies.
• Support continuous professional development and supervision.

Conoscenze

Vulnerable groups experience

Autonomous working

Assessment facilitation

Formazione

NHS band 5 equivalent experience

RMN/OT/Social worker/Psychologist qualification

Descrizione del lavoro

Liaison and Diversion Practitioner - Criminal Justice Team

Band 6

Main area Forensics Grade Band 6 Contract 10 months (Secondment ends 16th August) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 277-8116380-FOR-C

Site Bracton Centre Town Dartford Salary £45,953 - £54,254 pa inc Salary period Yearly Closing 18/11/2026 23:59

Job overview

Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust has been providing L&D services since 2012.

The L&D team currently provide an assessment service to Bromley and Bexley Police stations operating from 08.00-22.00 hrs Monday to Friday and 13.00-21.00hrs weekend.

The shift pattern consists of early shift 07:00-15:00 and late shift 14:00-22:00 hrs Monday to Friday. Weekend service operating hours are 13.00-21:00hrs.

The L&D also deliver a service to Bromley and Bexley Magistrates 09:00-17:00hrs Monday to Saturday including bank holidays. It will introduce community link workers as a third sector provider provided by Waythrough which will allow the L&D team greater scope to identify those vulnerable offenders who can be supported in the community once released from either police custody or the magistrates. W e are pleased to announce that Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust has been successful in securing the contract for the Liaison and Diversion (L&D) South Lot service following a competitive tendering process. Oxleas will continue to deliver the L&D service in close partnership with the South London Partnership (SLP).

Main duties of the job

• To provide specialist knowledge on forensic mental health within the criminal justice system, namely police stations and courts within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, offering advice and consultation to colleagues in the criminal justice system and mental health services.
• Maintain clinical direction and leadership, coordinating a team of clinical staff to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality mental health care for people with vulnerabilities in crisis within police custody.
• Hold responsibility for assessment of care needs and the development, implementation, and evaluation of therapeutic care.
• Lead the team to foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Ensure the voices of service users, carers, and criminal justice professionals are heard so that care is of a high standard and services meet need.
• Provide a framework for supervision, caseload management, reflective practice, and monitoring of clinical standards. Ensure adequate staffing and flexible deployment of resources.
• Work within codes of practice, legal and statutory frameworks, maintaining accountability and client confidentiality. Participate fully in CPD and supervision, supporting staff, mentoring students, and promoting learning.
• Provide clinical reports initiating pathways of care across courts, custody, agencies, and prisons.
• Maintain knowledge of the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act, Care Act, and other relevant legislation, and adhere to Trust policies.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.
Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families. This is strengthened by our new values:

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be work as part of a team in working with service users across criminal justice pathway who have encountered or experienced mental health difficulties and other recognised vulnerabilities. The purpose of this role is to:

• Provide assessment and implementation of evidence-based interventions for service users who are experiencing common, acute mental health and longer-term recovery needs who have come into contact with the Criminal Justice System
• Provide Court reports as requested
• Follow the individual through to successful signposting
• Optimise the service users’ ability to remain in the community and / or be cared for in the least restrictive environment in line with the principles or recovering and social inclusion.
• Support clinical governance initiatives.
• Identify recognised vulnerabilities and support in recovery pathways.

Key Task and Responsibilities

• To provide specialist knowledge on forensic mental health within the criminal justice system namely police stations and the courts within Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, providing expert advice and consultation with colleagues in the criminal justice system and mental health services.
• To work within codes of practice and professional guidelines and to be accountable for own professional practice.
• Ensure observance and the working of all relevant legal and statutory requirements.
• Required to act within broad occupational policies without guidance or direct supervision.
• To maintain client confidentiality at all times.
• To participate fully in continuous professional development and supervision.
• To regularly provide mentorship and supervision to students on placement
• To have the ability and experience to work autonomously.
• To demonstrate excellent partnership working skills
• To have an understanding of psycho-social interventions
• To collect and implement data from assessments made in the police stations within the trust, which will assist in developing the service review/research providing evidence to inform future service provision.
• If required to provide documented clinical reports initiating appropriate pathways to care, for FME’s courts mental health facilities and prisons ensuring a smooth informed pathway of care for the MDO.

Management responsibilities

• Assisting the Team Leader in ensuring that the team performs effectively and Efficiently in providing high quality provision to all boroughs.
• Required to make clinical judgements on situations as they arise and respond using appropriate contingencies thereby ensuring the safety of the client and community at large.
• To work within the guidelines of Oxleas professional policies and procedures.

Person specification

Skills and Experience

• Specialist experience in vulnerable groups

Skills and Experience

• Experience of working autonomously

Skills and Experience

• Facilitate assessments and formulate outcomes

Qualification/Experience

• Previous experience at NHS band 5 (or equivalent) level
• Relevant Professional Qualification (RMN/OT/Social worker/Psychologist)
• Experience in multiagency working

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that welcomes and supports individuals of all abilities. Remember, if you meet the minimum criteria for this role and you have a disability, you can be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme - Please ensure you select this on your application form. We would encourage you to be open about your needs so we can work with you to design a comfortable and accessible interview experience. Any information you provide regarding a disability or a need for adjustments will be treated in confidence and will only be shared with colleagues who are supporting this request.

If you require any adjustments to participate fully in the interview process, please let us know by adding the relevant details when scheduling your preferred interview date and time. Please feel free to contact the appointing manager to discuss your needs.

We encourage applicants to contact the hiring manager before their interview, if they have any questions about the role or the process. This is a great way to get clarity and prepare effectively for the interview.

If you have declared you are part of the armed forces community, you may be asked to provide evidence during the recruitment process. If you misrepresent this information, your offer may be withdrawn. For Armed Forces specific support, see our webpage: https://oxleas.nhs.uk/armed-forces-community/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting information section. While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for. There is also a risk that it can generate false or misleading information. AI-generated job applications can often be generic, impersonal and may not accurately reflect your qualifications, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting information section is not advocated by Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.Please note that the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is prohibited during the interview process.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.