Liaison and Diversion Senior Practitioner (Bank) Band 6

The Liaison and Diversion Service is commissioned nationally by NHS England.

It is an all age, all vulnerability service which offers assessment services to individuals in police custody and court who may present with vulnerabilities and who find themselves in contact with the youth or criminal justice systems as a result of being suspected of having committed a criminal offence. Vulnerabilities may include but not limited to mental health, alcohol and substance use, homelessness, learning disabilities, autism, or other speech and language difficulties.

We provide court related services which offer greater advice and support to the judiciary, including Court Reports.

L&D services aim to reduce reoffending, reduce unnecessary use of police and court time and reduce health inequalities for some of the most vulnerable in society.

It requires a commitment to close partnership working with other services and working with a complex and diverse range of individuals with varying needs.

Main duties of the job

Following assessment and identification of any vulnerabilities the practitioner will either facilitate diversion of the individual away from the criminal justice system into appropriate services or alternatively with the individuals consent signpost on to services to meet any vulnerabilities whilst they continue to be dealt with by the criminal justice system and beyond.

Liaising with other professionals and service providers to ensure appropriate care and support is in place is integral to the role.

We are looking for someone who embraces collaborative working with partner agencies, service users and carers and who has a keen interest in working with the Police. You will need to be resilient and have the ability and confidence to work with a high level of autonomy.

Importantly, you will be dynamic and persevering in your work, be naturally inquisitive, have excellent risk assessment and report writing skills, and the ability to quickly establish and develop rapport with service users.

We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means were accountable to our members, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.