Specialist Liaison & Diversion Practitioner | Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust

If the answer is yes, then we are seeking to recruit an experienced Social Worker, Mental Health Nurse, or Occupational Therapist to join our established, successful and dynamic team as we consolidate and develop Liaison and Diversion Services in Police custody suites, Courts and Prisons across Kent and Medway.

Work with enthusiastic and passionate colleagues to provide an all age, all-vulnerabilities service to clients in the Criminal Justice System. Make a real difference to people's lives by identifying their support needs and encouraging them to engage with services that can help them.

Collaborate with a range of professionals across health, justice and social care to reduce reoffending and support safer communities.

The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

The role of a Specialist Liaison and Diversion Practitioner (SLDP) is both an interesting and challenging one, where you will experience all aspects of the criminal justice system.

We are looking for forward thinking and enthusiastic practitioners, with a keen eye for risk assessment and formulation to respond to referrals from within the criminal justice system and support individuals with identified health or social vulnerabilities. You will also have the opportunity to provide community support and being involved in outreach initiatives.

The successful candidate will work in Police Custody Suites, Courts, Prisons and varying community locations across Kent and Medway so some experience of liaison, crisis intervention or forensic services would be an advantage. You will be working with people who experience mental health needs, learning disabilities, communication difficulties, drug and alcohol misuse and other health and social vulnerabilities.

Our SLDPs do not hold caseload and their work is aimed at point-in-time assessment, liaison and diversion. These crucial assessments will be used to inform the most appropriate and robust care pathways.

In essence, our SLDP's provide the crucial link between a variety of stakeholders and can make a real difference to the outcome of service users' experiences in the criminal justice system.

Come and work with us in the Garden of England where we combine exceptional professional development opportunities with a tremendous quality of life.

We are Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), providing mental health, learning disability and specialist services, serving 1.8 million people across the county.

The Trust (rated Good overall by the CQC and Outstanding for care) has 3,283 staff working in 66 buildings across 33 locations, covering an area of 1,450 square miles.

You will be joining friendly, passionate colleagues, rich in their diversity, who are committed to providing excellent care to our service users and their loved ones.

The nature of our work attracts kindness and compassion as standard and everyone from our cleaners and porters to the chief executive and chairman are recognised as playing a vital role in providing an exemplary service.

This role requires close partnership working with both statutory and voluntary sector agencies and a commitment to working with a complex and diverse range of individuals with varying needs. The successful candidate will liaise with a multitude of services, receiving referrals, completing assessments, identifying care pathways and facilitating diversion within or out of the Criminal Justice System, where appropriate.

Telephone contact with an LD&R Team Manager for an informal conversation about the position, prior to application, is encouraged.

Please note that due to the environments our practitioners work in, this role is subject to full vetting by Kent Police/Kent Prisons. If you are aware of any reason that you may not pass vetting then please discuss with a Team Manager before submitting your application.

Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.