Mental Health Practitioner

Job summary

Are you seeking an exciting community role supporting people leaving prison with their health care needs?

The Criminal Justice Liaison & Diversion Service has a vacancy for a Mental Health Practitioner in it's developing Reconnect Service.

The Reconnect Service is a care after custody service which aims to increase the access and uptake of community healthcare or relevant support services for individuals who have significant health needs upon release from HMP Guys Marsh, Portland and HMP The Verne and ensure safe transition to community-based healthcare.

The Reconnect service supports individuals with a varied range of health vulnerabilities and risk, including mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, and those that are end of licence or may require continued supervision in the community under Dorset Probation.

Employment in this post requires an Enhanced/Standard Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which the Trust will cover the cost of. Applicants who subscribe to the DBS update service are able to present a valid DBS certificate instead of requiring a new check.

Applications from candidates that require visa sponsorship to work in the UK are unfortunately ineligible to apply for this position.

Main duties of the job

Working closely with prison colleagues from Custody Health Care, the Offender Management Unit and the Resettlement Team, you will attend prison discharge meetings, carry out comprehensive assessments both within the prison and the community to identify the needs of the individual and plan the care of those being released. You will also be working with a range of health, social and forensic services in the community such as Dorset Probation and the local authority to identify and assess individuals post release, or those that may be returning to Dorset but released from a prison in another county.

Support Workers work with clients for up to 6 months, building a trusting therapeutic relationship to support their transition from prison to community health care and encourage engagement with services. You will work closely with the Support Workers to plan continuity of care and carry out caseload supervision.

If you are self-motivated, able to work autonomously and show plenty of initiative when it comes to handling a wide range of situations, then this could be the right role for you in a service that you can help shape. As this is a role in an ever-developing environment we highly suggest you contact the service before applying.

About us

At Dorset HealthCare we're on a mission to empower people to make the most of their lives through our outstanding, joined-up healthcare services. We're a dynamic, forward-looking Trust, running 12 community hospitals, specialist inpatient facilities and a wide range of integrated community and mental health services for a population of almost 800,000 people.

We do things differently here - it's one of the reasons the CQC rated us 'outstanding' in 2019. It's also why 95% of patients across our services say they have a good or very good experience of our services and 89% of staff feel they can really make a difference. Whether you're looking to work with us in one of our bustling market towns, vibrant urban locations, thriving seaside spots, or among the rolling hills of Dorset, there are lots of ways you can make a difference in our communities.

Our 7,000-strong workforce is at the heart of what we do and our success is a testament to our brilliant people. We're all about building a workplace for the future, we believe in equal opportunities and we celebrate diversity. We're an inclusive workplace, where everyone is welcome, everyone can be authentic, and we are all encouraged to be the best version of ourselves.

Working with us you'll be part of a strong team, challenge yourself, build a career, and teach us what we don't know. And you'll be working towards our vision to be better every day through excellence, compassion and expertise in all we do.