Liaison & Diversion Practitioner

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Information:

This job is now closed

Job summary

Sussex Liaison and Diversion (SL&D) are seeking to recruit a dynamic, qualified and registered health, social care, or justice professional with significant mental health experience to work in our Police Custody team (experienced nurse (esp. RMN, LD), occupational therapist, social worker, Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP), etc.).

Operating across Sussex and Brighton & Hove, SL&D provides high quality mental health and vulnerability screening and assessment to people of all ages who have become involved in the criminal justice system.

Based mainly at Crawley Police Station but able to work flexibly across Sussex's police custody suites, courts, probation offices, and other locations you will be part of a growing team of frontline staff. You will ideally have knowledge of both the criminal justice and mental health systems, and experience of working with people who are at risk of poor health and social care outcomes. Using your excellent triage and case prioritisation skills, you will be responsible for coordinating your own assessment work, as well as work undertaken by Support Worker staff who you will supervise and work alongside on a day-to-day basis.

This post offers a Golden Hello, or a Relocation package up to a maximum of £2000. (pro rata applies and subject to terms and conditions. Please see attached Protocol document).

Main duties of the job

Using your excellent case prioritisation skills, you will be responsible for providing specialist mental health assessment work and providing reports and make appropriate onward referrals.

You will have meticulous attention to detail in gathering and recording health, social circumstances, and risk information, sometimes under pressure. You will be able to develop clear risk management plans, and ensure safe care and treatment pathways for the vulnerable people you assess as they leave the custody setting, whether remanded to prison, or returning to potentially complex situations in the community.

Your written assessments will effectively support the custody and to understand and respond to the assessed person's needs appropriately, making onward referrals to appropriate services.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID

About us

About the Trust:

We provide mental health and learning disability care for children, young people, and adults across Sussex. SPFT is rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for caring by CQC. In our staff survey:

. 82% agree that care for patients is our top priority

. 70% highlight flexible working opportunities as key to satisfaction at work

. 79% report feeling able to make improvement to improve the work within their team

. 77% identify opportunities to show initiative in their roles

About Sussex:

. Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns there's always new experiences to be enjoyed

. Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton and London

. With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure

SLDS has a positive supervision and appraisal culture, and values staff training and development.

Date posted

22 June 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£32,306 to £39,027 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

354-FH-20246

Job locations

Crawley Police Custody

North Gate Avenue

Crawley

RH10 8BF


Job description

Job responsibilities

As a seasoned health or social care professional with mental health experience, and knowledge of the criminal justice system, you will bring excellent organisational and clinical assessment skills to this vital role in the team.

Following your comprehensive and supportive service induction, this role will mean being embedded in the court, and on most days acting as a lone practitioner. You will need to be proactive in terms of accessing support from the wider custody-based team, and will need to be robust and boundaried, within an effective 'can do' attitude when supporting the court and its staff.

You will link in daily with and support SLDS colleagues in custody and other court sites, often using remote means to do so.

Key responsibilities include:

  • To undertake vulnerability and specialist mental health assessments of individuals (including their carers and other networks) within complex court and custody environments. This includes those service users presenting with higher levels of risk, and more serious offending.
  • To develop onward care plans alongside the service user.
  • To provide written assessments and advice to partner agencies including the Police and Court
  • To assess and manage ongoing risks as identified, ensuring that this is done in collaboration with the service user, carers, and other involved agencies. To review dynamic risk factors and make changes to the management of them as necessary.
  • To communicate promptly and effectively with the service user, and all relevant outside agencies.
  • To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Trust's relevant professional strategies.
  • To ensure that clinical practice is evidence based and consistent with relevant NICE guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
  • To provide day-to-day support and guidance, and regular supervision of junior staff and trainees.
  • To act within the post-holder's professional code of conduct at all times.

Please see the accompanying job description for full details of this role.

SLDSs service to the magistrates court covers the operational hours of the court (8:30 - 4:30pm). This post is for full time working shifts on a rota (4 days/3 days)

Applicants will require full DBS clearance and full NPPV Level 2 Police clearance prior to an offer of employment (an existing NPPV L2 with Sussex Police may be transferable).

For further information or an informal discussion about the role, please contact the team's Clinical Nurse Specialists Michelle Hall (07836 230 236 michelle.hall@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk) or Dylan Wright (07900 135938 dylan.wright@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk).

Interviews may be conducted using Skype.

Job description

Job responsibilities

As a seasoned health or social care professional with mental health experience, and knowledge of the criminal justice system, you will bring excellent organisational and clinical assessment skills to this vital role in the team.

Following your comprehensive and supportive service induction, this role will mean being embedded in the court, and on most days acting as a lone practitioner. You will need to be proactive in terms of accessing support from the wider custody-based team, and will need to be robust and boundaried, within an effective 'can do' attitude when supporting the court and its staff.

You will link in daily with and support SLDS colleagues in custody and other court sites, often using remote means to do so.

Key responsibilities include:

  • To undertake vulnerability and specialist mental health assessments of individuals (including their carers and other networks) within complex court and custody environments. This includes those service users presenting with higher levels of risk, and more serious offending.
  • To develop onward care plans alongside the service user.
  • To provide written assessments and advice to partner agencies including the Police and Court
  • To assess and manage ongoing risks as identified, ensuring that this is done in collaboration with the service user, carers, and other involved agencies. To review dynamic risk factors and make changes to the management of them as necessary.
  • To communicate promptly and effectively with the service user, and all relevant outside agencies.
  • To contribute to the maintenance and development of the Trust's relevant professional strategies.
  • To ensure that clinical practice is evidence based and consistent with relevant NICE guidelines and Trust policies and procedures.
  • To provide day-to-day support and guidance, and regular supervision of junior staff and trainees.
  • To act within the post-holder's professional code of conduct at all times.

Please see the accompanying job description for full details of this role.

SLDSs service to the magistrates court covers the operational hours of the court (8:30 - 4:30pm). This post is for full time working shifts on a rota (4 days/3 days)

Applicants will require full DBS clearance and full NPPV Level 2 Police clearance prior to an offer of employment (an existing NPPV L2 with Sussex Police may be transferable).

For further information or an informal discussion about the role, please contact the team's Clinical Nurse Specialists Michelle Hall (07836 230 236 michelle.hall@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk) or Dylan Wright (07900 135938 dylan.wright@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk).

Interviews may be conducted using Skype.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered nurse (RMN, LD), social worker, occupational therapist, etc. with current professional registration appropriate to the job role
  • Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB. Equivalent additional learning or substantial experience for non-nurse candidates (e.g. relevant post-graduate learning, AMHP qualification etc...)
  • Evidence of continuous professional development

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
  • Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
  • Experience of supervising staff
  • Experience of providing a range of clinical assessments and interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health and social care problems
  • Experience of working consultatively with professionals
  • Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
  • Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non statutory teams and agencies
  • Experience of working within a justice setting
  • Understanding of clinical governance
  • Previous experience of working in the community
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered nurse (RMN, LD), social worker, occupational therapist, etc. with current professional registration appropriate to the job role
  • Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB. Equivalent additional learning or substantial experience for non-nurse candidates (e.g. relevant post-graduate learning, AMHP qualification etc...)
  • Evidence of continuous professional development

Knowledge/Experience

Essential

  • Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
  • Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
  • Experience of supervising staff
  • Experience of providing a range of clinical assessments and interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health and social care problems
  • Experience of working consultatively with professionals
  • Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
  • Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non statutory teams and agencies
  • Experience of working within a justice setting
  • Understanding of clinical governance
  • Previous experience of working in the community

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Crawley Police Custody

North Gate Avenue

Crawley

RH10 8BF


Employer's website

https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Crawley Police Custody

North Gate Avenue

Crawley

RH10 8BF


Employer's website

https://www.sussexpartnership.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


For questions about the job, contact:

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Michelle Hall

michelle.hall@sussexpartnership.nhs.uk

07836230236

Date posted

22 June 2022

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£32,306 to £39,027 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

354-FH-20246

Job locations

Crawley Police Custody

North Gate Avenue

Crawley

RH10 8BF


Supporting documents

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