Senior Mental Health Practitioner

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust; Gloucester; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Criminal Justice Liaison Service specialist to assess vulnerable individuals who interact with police, courts and custody settings. You will provide clinical advice, develop care pathways and support multi-agency collaboration to improve health outcomes.

The role focuses on trauma-informed, recovery-focused practice and ensures continuity of care across health, social care and third-sector services.

Qualifications

• Maintain professional registration and practice in accordance with relevant standards and codes.
• Demonstrate advanced communication skills when engaging distressed or vulnerable individuals.
• Work autonomously while maintaining accountability for clinical decisions and risk management.

Responsibilities

• Undertake specialist assessments of individuals in the criminal justice system to identify mental health needs and vulnerabilities.
• Provide specialist clinical advice to police, courts and partners to inform care and disposal options.
• Develop and coordinate care pathways to ensure continuity of care across health, social care and third-sector services.
• Prepare high-quality clinical reports and give expert evidence in court when required.
• Promote trauma-informed, recovery-focused, person-centred practice in multi-agency settings.

Skills

Specialist assessments

Multi-Agency collaboration

Court liaison

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Criminal Justice Liaison Service (CJLS), a specialist multi-disciplinary team working across health and criminal justice settings. This rewarding role is ideal for a practitioner who is passionate about improving outcomes for vulnerable individuals and reducing health inequalities.

CJLS provides an all-age, all-vulnerabilities service for people who come into contact with police, courts, prisons and other criminal justice settings where concerns relating to mental health, learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental conditions, substance misuse or wider vulnerabilities are identified. The post holder will undertake specialist assessments, provide advice to criminal justice professionals and facilitate access to appropriate health, social care and third-sector services.

Working across police custody suites, Magistrates' and Crown Courts, voluntary interview pathways, prison release pathways and community settings, you will play a key role in identifying vulnerabilities, supporting informed criminal justice decision-making and ensuring individuals are connected to effective care pathways.

This is a varied and fast-paced role requiring excellent assessment, communication and partnership-working skills. You will work closely with a wide range of agencies to promote trauma-informed, recovery-focused practice and improve outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Conduct comprehensive assessments of individuals within the criminal justice system to identify mental health needs, learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental conditions, substance misuse issues and wider vulnerabilities. Provide specialist advice and recommendations to police, courts and other criminal justice professionals regarding appropriate care pathways, interventions and disposal options. Facilitate timely referrals into mental health, social care, primary care and third-sector services. Prepare and present clear, high-quality written reports and professional opinions for criminal justice proceedings. Attend court and provide expert evidence, including verbal advice and professional recommendations regarding mental health and other vulnerabilities. Develop robust care pathways through effective multi-Agency working and partnership development. Support individuals through diversion from custody where appropriate and ensure continuity of care across criminal justice and health systems. Deliver trauma-informed, person-centred interventions that promote recovery, choice and hope. Contribute to specialist pathways including RECONNECT and Voluntary Interview services. Participate in service development, quality improvement initiatives, audit and training activities. Promote safeguarding, risk management and community safety through collaborative working with partner agencies.

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Clinical responsibilities:

• Undertake specialist assessments of individuals of all ages who come into contact with the criminal justice system, identifying mental health needs, learning disabilities, neurodevelopmental conditions, substance misuse issues and other vulnerabilities.
• Assess the impact of identified needs on an individual's functioning, offending behaviour and ability to engage with criminal justice processes.
• Provide specialist clinical advice and recommendations to criminal justice partners to inform custody decisions, court disposals and onward support planning.
• Make timely referrals into appropriate health, social care and voluntary sector services.
• Develop and coordinate care pathways to ensure continuity of care and access to appropriate interventions.
• Produce high-quality clinical reports, risk assessments and professional recommendations.
• Represent the service within court proceedings, providing verbal evidence, professional opinion and expert advice where required.
• Participate in the development of contingency plans and multi-agency responses for high-risk and prolific offenders.
• Monitor outcomes and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and recommendations.
• Support individuals to understand their health needs and engage positively with treatment, support services and recovery opportunities.
• Maintain knowledge of local resources and services to ensure effective signposting and care coordination.
• Deliver services in a manner that is trauma-informed, recovery-focused and person-centred.
• Contribute to specialist pathways, including RECONNECT and Voluntary Interview services.

Professional Responsibilities:

• Maintain professional registration and practise in accordance with relevant professional standards, codes of conduct and Trust policies.
• Demonstrate advanced communication skills when working with individuals experiencing distress, crisis, cognitive impairment, hostility or complex psychosocial needs.
• Maintain accurate, timely and legally compliant clinical records, databases and activity reports.
• Develop, implement and review care plans alongside service users, carers and partner agencies.
• Work autonomously while maintaining accountability for professional practice and decision-making.
• Undertake complex clinical decision-making and risk management in highly challenging situations.
• Provide consultation, guidance and specialist advice to colleagues and partner agencies.
• Build and maintain effective partnerships with police, courts, probation, prisons, social care, primary care providers and third-sector organisations.
• Promote safeguarding practices and initiate safeguarding actions for vulnerable children and adults where required.
• Participate in MAPPA processes and contribute to public protection and community safety arrangements.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of criminal justice liaison services, relevant legislation, including the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act, and national policy developments.
• Participate in ongoing professional development, training and reflective practice activities.

Leadership and Service Development Responsibilities:

• Support the supervision, appraisal, induction and development of junior staff, students and trainees.
• Facilitate practice learning placements and contribute to the assessment and support of students.
• Assist in the planning and delivery of training programmes for multidisciplinary teams and partner agencies.
• Contribute to service improvement initiatives, audits, policy development and quality assurance activities.
• Support the achievement of team, organisational and national service objectives.
• Assist in developing and maintaining effective multi-Agency relationships and collaborative working arrangements.
• Ensure accurate performance and activity data is collected and reported in line with service requirements.
• Participate in workload management, clinical supervision and governance processes.
• Provide operational support and, where required, deputise for the Team Manager to ensure continuity of service delivery.

Risk, Safety and Working Environment:

• Work independently across police custody suites, courts, prisons and community settings, including regular lone working.
• Assess and manage risks associated with individuals who may be distressed, suicidal, aggressive, hostile or emotionally dysregulated.
• Respond effectively to rapidly changing priorities and urgent situations.
• Use de-escalation, conflict resolution and personal safety techniques to manage challenging situations.
• Work within health and safety policies relating to infection prevention, clinical waste management and personal safety.
• Maintain resilience and professionalism when exposed to potentially traumatic, distressing or emotionally challenging circumstances.

Key Relationships:

The post holder will work collaboratively with:

• Service users, carers and families
• Police officers and custody staff
• Magistrates, judges, solicitors, court ushers and court custody staff
• Probation and prison services
• Mental health, crisis and community teams
• Social care services
• Primary care services
• Third-sector and voluntary organisations, including housing, employment and recovery services
• Safeguarding teams and public protection agencies
• Internal Trust colleagues and professional leads

This role is central to improving outcomes for vulnerable individuals within the criminal justice system through early identification, assessment, diversion, care coordination and effective multi-agency partnership working.