Mental Health Practitioner

South West London & St George's Mental Health NHS Trust; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health service provider in the United Kingdom is seeking a Mental Health Practitioner for their Forensic Liaison and Diversion Team. This is an exciting opportunity to support vulnerable individuals in the criminal justice system. The role requires background checks and offers a rota system covering police custody and magistrates court. Applicants must have resided in the UK for at least 3 years and have no criminal convictions that affect employment.

Qualifications

• Required to have resided in the UK for at least 3 years.
• Clear criminal record and no police involvement.
• Ability to work in high-pressure settings.

Responsibilities

• Support individuals in the criminal justice system with mental health vulnerabilities.
• Work on a rota system covering police custody and court.
• Provide early intervention and support to reduce re-offending.

Job description

Role Overview

The Forensic Liaison & Diversion (L&D) Service is looking for a Mental Health Practitioner to join our service. This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join the Forensic Liaison and Diversion Team in South-West London & St George's Mental Health Trust (SWLSTG). The Forensic Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services aim to provide early intervention for vulnerable people of all ages as they come to the attention of the criminal justice system. Police Vetting: The position can only formally be offered subject to successful Police Vetting to enable you to work in police custody locations. As such, you will be subjected to a significantly higher level of vetting compared with your DBS. This vetting is conducted by the Metropolitan Police. It is essentially a detailed background check. One of the most essential criteria is that you are required to have resided in the UK for at least 3 years. Common Failures with Police vetting includes: 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 - Straight refusal 3 year residency Defaults - No debt management plans in place. Default is allowed but must be satisfied, getting older and not gaining additional Defaults Convictions which resulted in imprisonment or suspended sentence - straight refusal, The Forensic L&D Service works within an all ages and vulnerability model and identifies people who have mental health, learning disability, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities when they first come into contact with the criminal justice system as suspects, defendants or offenders. The service can then support people through the early stages of criminal system pathway, refer them for appropriate health or social care or enable them to be diverted away from the criminal justice system into a more appropriate setting, such as hospital if required. The service aims to improve overall health outcomes for people and to support people in the reduction of re-offending. It also aims to identify vulnerabilities in people earlier on which reduces the likelihood that people will reach a crisis-point and helps to ensure the right support can be put in place from the start. The successful applicant will work on a rota system with other Band 6 colleagues, covering both Wandsworth Police Custody Suite and Wimbledon Magistrates Court and will be expected to work unsocial hours including weekends and bank holidays.