Liaison & Diversion Practitioner

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust; Northampton; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service organization in Northamptonshire is looking for a motivated Band 5 allied health professional to join the Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion Team. This role involves conducting assessments for offenders and collaborating with police, probation, and other agencies. Candidates should have experience in mental health assessments and the ability to work with vulnerable individuals. The team enhances safety and well-being, ensuring holistic support for offenders and their families.

Qualifications

• Experience in conducting assessments for offenders.
• Understanding of community support systems.
• Knowledge of criminal justice processes.

Responsibilities

• Conduct initial assessments of suspects or offenders.
• Collaborate with local services to assess referrals.
• Undertake comprehensive assessments of client needs.
• Facilitate risk assessments for offending behaviours.
• Review and monitor plans to meet identified needs.

Skills

Mental health assessments

Collaborative work with agencies

Risk assessments

Psychosocial interventions

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for motivated and enthusiastic Band 5 allied health professional to work as an integrated part of the Criminal Justice Liaison and Diversion Team in Northamptonshire.

This role has multiple bases including Criminal Justice Centre Brackmills, weekly Wood Justice Centre Kettering, Northamptonshire Courts and county wide community setting.

The role of the Liaison & Diversion Practitioner is to work in partnership with Police, Probation, His Majesties Court and Tribunal Service and Third Sector organisations in the screening and assessment of offenders pre and post charge in Police Custody, Magistrates Courts and other Criminal Justice locations.

The Liaison & Diversion Service is an all age, all vulnerability model and will screen identified individuals and advise partner agencies on their needs and the potential impact on their offending behaviour to help identify appropriate custodial or alternative to custody options. The practitioner will demonstrate an understanding of mental health assessments and the health needs of offenders and will work closely alongside partner agencies to promote the safety and the well‑being of offenders, their families/carers and the wider public. The post holder will assess and, where appropriate, refer to Primary and/or Secondary and/or Third Sector organisations based on any identified need alongside providing advice and support to the criminal justice process.

Main duties of the job

• Provide under guidance initial assessments of suspects or offenders to identify present needs, and refer to other pathways dependant on presenting vulnerability.
• Work collaboratively with local services and agencies to conduct detailed assessments of appropriate referrals with a focus on offending behaviour, risk of harm to others and related issues and needs.
• Undertake under guidance comprehensive assessment of client's individual needs and strengths to obtain and record all relevant information about their physical health, substance misuse, learning disability, mental health, their social and personal circumstances, their care service histories and current needs and problems.
• Utilising agreed tools and processes, undertake risk assessments in relation to offending behaviours including taking a lead role in facilitating the assessment process and providing specialist support regarding risk decision making and risk management planning.
• Demonstrate specialist knowledge across a range of procedures underpinned by theory.
• Develop, monitor and review plans to meet identified needs.
• Deploy a range of strategies using evidence based psychosocial interventions for individuals that is time limited, with a focus on reducing and managing offending behaviour and risk of harm to others.
• To assess needs and requirement in housing, occupation and benefits with knowledge of appropriate support agencies.

About NHFT

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be 'outstanding' by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.