Senior Liaison and Diversion Practitioner

Greater Manchester Mental Health; Manchester; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Liaison and Diversion Practitioner to support identification of mental vulnerability among individuals entering the criminal justice system across Greater Manchester.

The role involves working in a multi-disciplinary team within the CJL service, conducting screenings and formal assessments, and facilitating access to appropriate health and social care services in a timely manner.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification registered on the appropriate part of the NMC/HCPC register with current
• Post registration training in relevant
• Leadership/Management training

Responsibilities

• Act as senior duty as per rota
• Improve identification and screening of mental vulnerability in children and adults in contact with or at risk of involvement with the criminal justice system.
• Facilitate assessments in accordance with CPA, MHA, MCA, Equality Act 2010 and local and national service pathways.
• Share relevant information with Criminal Justice decision makers, to inform charging, sentencing and diversion.
• Support access to appropriate health and social care for individuals in contact with the criminal justice system.
• Support and contribute to the management of risk to the public.
• Positively contribute to the improvement of awareness and reduction of stigma in criminal justice, health and social care settings

Skills

MDT collaboration

Teamwork

Communication

Risk management

Education

NMC/HCPC registration

Job description

Senior Liaison and Diversion Practitioner

Band 6

Main area Mental Health Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (Working across the service between the hours of Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm.Happy to discuss flexible working) Job ref 437-8149977-A

Site Covering All Greater Manchester Courts and Police Custodies Town Manchester Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 01/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

Greater Manchester Liaison and Diversion Service

Committed to delivering outstanding care?

This ageless service will provide access to appropriately skilled and compassionate professionals in police custody suites and at courts across Greater Manchester.

The successful applicant will work to support the better identification of mental vulnerability for children and adults who are coming into contact with the criminal justice system. Working as part of a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team, the successful candidate will provide screening and formal assessments that recognise when significant need or risk requires addressing. This will inform the Criminal Justice process and support individuals to access appropriate services in a timely manner.

Main duties of the job

The Liaison and Diversion Senior Practitioner will function at a high competency level. He/she will have responsibility for actively participating as a key member of the multi-disciplinary team within the trust wide CJL Team. The post holder will:

• Act as senior duty as per rota
• Improve identification and screening of mental vulnerability in children and adults in contact with or at risk of involvement with the criminal justice system. .
• Facilitate assessments in accordance with CPA, MHA, MCA, Equality Act 2010 and local and national service pathways.
• Share relevant information with Criminal Justice decision makers, to inform charging, sentencing and diversion.
• Support access to appropriate health and social care for individuals in contact with the criminal justice system.
• Support and contribute to the management of risk to the public.
• Positively contribute to the improvement of awareness and reduction of stigma in criminal justice, health and social care settings

Working for our organisation

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000members of staff, who deliver services from more than120locations.

We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford,Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world’s most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.

Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification

Band

Saturday (midnight to midnight) and any week day after 8pm and before 6am

All time on Sundays and Public Holidays (midnight to midnight)

1

2

3

4 – 9

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years

Person specification

Qualifications

• Professional qualification registered on the appropriate part of the NMC/HCPC register with current
• Post registration training in relevant
• Leadership/Management training

Experience

• Experienced mental health, CAMHS or learning disability practitioner with a good working knowledge of how health and social care services are delivered in a community setting
• Experience of Multi-Disciplinary working
• Evidence of positive contribution to change management
• Demonstrate experience of problem solving approaches
• Experience or knowledge/understanding of the Criminal Justice system and settings.
• Experience of working with children/young adults

Skills

• Ability to work as part of an MDT
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to deal with sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy
• Flexible and responsive approach to care
• Ability to identify and support the management of risk to in a proportionate and defensible manner
• Understanding and experience of delivering care with compassion in a sometimes pressured environment
• Experience of the interface between Health Services and the Criminal Justice System
• Ability to work with minimum supervision in a safe and coordinated manner
• Ability to promote, develop and maintain effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues in health, social care and criminal justice settings

Knowledge

• Awareness of children/vulnerable adults guidelines
• Knowledge or willingness to develop awareness of wider mental vulnerability as defined by PACE
• Understanding of the interface between health, social care and criminal justice services and a commitment to overcoming potential barriers

Other

• Demonstrate a commitment to respecting and displaying the Trust Values at all times

Important Information about working for GMMH: All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, for further information on the checks required please visit the NHS Employers website www.nhsemployers.org

The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.

The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application.The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.

Sponsorship

We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click here .

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it here .

Do you have experience outside the NHS?

We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.

We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.

Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received

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.

As a service user, relative or carer using our services, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice, and support.