Liaison and Diversion Practitioner - Police Custody

at  Norfolk Suffolk Foundation Trust

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people’s and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.
At any one time, around 23,000 people in Norfolk and Suffolk are receiving care and attention from the Trust. We believe in whole life care - seeing people in the context of their whole lives, understanding the importance of good physical health, friends, family, spirituality, culture, home, work, education and a sense of purpose and achievement to experience good mental health.
Nearly 3,800 full and part-time practitioners care for our service users in hospitals, in the community and in their own homes, whilst an additional 1,400+ staff provide non-clinical support, including cleaning, catering, delivering supplies, ward administration, information technology, human resources and financial services.
We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.
We are committed to delivering quality driven mental health services. Every individual makes a valuable contribution. We are proud of our staff who have been commended for the care they provide. Do you value working positively, respectfully and together? If so, we’d love you to join us!
We will consider flexible working arrangements for our roles, please indicate in your application if this is something you require

JOB DESCRIPTION/PERSON SPECIFICATION

Please read the job description/person specification carefully and ensure your application reflects the knowledge, skills and experience needed.

WE ARE LOOKING FOR REGISTERED HEALTH OR SOCIAL CARE PROFESSIONALS TO WORK IN A TEAM IN A FAST-PACED CRIMINAL JUSTICE ENVIRONMENT. YOU WILL NEED TO BE AN NMC, SWE OR HCPC REGISTERED PRACTITIONER WITH SOME RELEVANT HEALTH OR SOCIAL CARE SERVICE EXPERIENCE AND HAVE SIGNIFICANT DEMONSTRABLE POST REGISTRATION EXPERIENCE.

Liaison and Diversion is a service where people of all ages with a wide range of vulnerabilities are identified and assessed as early as possible as they pass through the Youth and Criminal Justice Systems.
For this post, you will work in police custody and complete triage assessments with people whilst they are detained there (from the age of ten). You will work closely with the police, your assessment and information gathering will support that person across the offender pathway. Depending on a person’s criminal justice journey this may include Courts and Probation and the wider health and social care systems in the community.
Whilst the team all perform the Liaison and Diversion Practitioner role, your colleagues come from a range of professional backgrounds including social workers, paramedics, midwives, health visitors, approved mental health professionals, physical health nurses and a learning disability nurse. In this role your criminal justice knowledge will greatly expand, so we welcome applicants who have not worked in this area as we can provide training and your knowledge will develop as you work across the team.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

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

MAIN DUTIES OF THE JOB

We are looking for a full time team member to join our team in Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre. Please also note we have an advert for a 12 month fixed term at Martlesham PIC. Your primary role will be to complete holistic triage assessments for people who have been arrested and brought to police custody. You will possess excellent interpersonal skills that will enable you to challenge, motivate, influence, and inspire at all levels. As part of a small team, you will work various shift patterns comprising of mostly 9-hour shifts, to enable the service to cover extended hours, seven days per week, 365 days a year.
The working criminal justice locations include Police Investigation Centres (PIC’s), Courts and other supporting criminal justice/health environments in line with service need. However, this role will primarily work inside the PIC (custody). The service covers both Norfolk and Suffolk and may require some cross county working. It is essential that you can travel independently.
Travel to other PICs could occur, mostly at Martlesham.

DETAILED JOB DESCRIPTION AND MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

• Complete triage and screening of service users within custody to assess their needs and create plans with them for support post custody by making onward referrals and signposting. This will include speaking to detainees in consultation rooms or when required via the cell hatch. This is in consultation with police to plan the safest way forward.
• Co-production with service users in creating their next steps plan/safety plan including referrals to a wide range of agencies - such as Turning Point, Wellbeing, Secondary Mental Health services, Crisis and Home Treatment Teams, Survivors in Transition, CRUSE, Domestic Abuse support services. This may include referrals for Mental Health Act assessments in consultation with colleagues, managers, and care teams of those detained.
• Work collaboratively with police colleagues, promoting partnership working across the criminal justice system.
• Able to work independently on own initiative to meet the needs of service users.
• Ensure service users’ needs are accurately reflected in health record documentation.
• Assist service users and carers to access information and support
  Health Education England commissioned Skills for Health to develop a career and competence framework for Liaison and Diversion with the aim of developing a flexible workforce able to respond to people with vulnerabilities who are either in or at risk of becoming involved with the Criminal Justice System. The framework helps support the development and growth of the workforce in this area, within mental health services and supports the movement of staff between the different roles across the non-custodial criminal justice services, such as Reconnect, Court Health services, Court Wellbeing/MHRT teams and L and D services. The link to the Competency framework can be found below. Any new recruits will work through the framework with their mentor and line Manager during their induction period.
  https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/FINAL-Non-Custodial-Career-and-Competence-Framework-document.pdf
  https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Level-5-Practitioner-LD-Final-Feb-2023-v1.pdf
  Candidates may only be given a minimum of 3 days’ notice regarding interviews. You will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.
  Please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @SouthgateNSFT and @NSFTjobs

Benefits included with this role are: -

• NHS pension
• Comprehensive in house & external training programmes
• Career progression
• Starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days Per annum based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
• Staff physio service
• Gym membership
• NHS discounts and many mor