Liaison and Diversion Practitioner - Barrow and Kendal

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Liaison and Diversion Team for the role of Liaison & Diversion Practitioner. This key position within the established Liaison and Diversion Service for Police Custody Suites and Magistrates Courts is offered as a permanent post. You will be working in partnership with police supporting individuals aged 10 upwards who are arrested and bought into custody, or who are voluntary attendees. Your role is part of a wider MDT, including community engagement workers, peer support workers and specialist practitioners. As well as working within a small supportive team, you will have access to CPD and training to compliment your role, along with support in career development and progression across the organisation. We offer reasonable adjustments and support with the application and interview process, and support flexible working patterns, we encourage anyone to contact team managers to discuss individual circumstances. As the role is predominately based in police custody suites, successful candidates must undergo NPPV Level 2 (full) Police Vetting and have been resident in the UK for at least three years. Enhanced DBS is also required to undertake this role., This Liaison & Diversion Practitioner role will identify and respond to requests to screen and assess people with vulnerabilities in contact with the justice system and could be based in the community, police custody or courts from aged 10 upwards. Referrals will be identified and received where there have been concerns that an individual has mental health issues, a learning disability, substance misuse, social care, safeguarding or other vulnerabilities, that will trigger a referral to the Liaison & Diversion service. The role will assess for a number of vulnerabilities, using validated tools, ensuring risk is assessed and relevant information shared to ensure appropriate services are accessed and manage the safety of clients and others. Assessment will include an opinion on the service user's capacity for effective participation in criminal justice procedures, cultural and gender needs, age and development related needs, including transition to adulthood and older person needs, social circumstances (including, relationships, leisure requirements, daily living, educational and occupational needs, employment/vocational needs, housing, finance) Information will be shared appropriately verbally and in a written report within Criminal Justice settings to inform decision-making and facilitate diversion within and out of the criminal justice pathway, We want to highlight the importance of integrity and authenticity in your application form, and ask you to use AI tools responsibly to ensure your application form is a true reflection of your skills, knowledge and experiences. We are looking for you to demonstrate personal experiences of how you meet the essential criteria and as an NHS Employer, we value authenticity and honesty. Please consider that AI-generated content may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description providing impersonal and inaccurate information. Please ensure that you read the person specification attached below as your application will be measured against this document. Applications from job share partners are welcome and other forms of flexible working will be considered for all posts. For all posts which require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check please be aware of the Disclosure and Barring Service Code of Practice, a copy of which is available by logging on to the DBS website. If the post is subject to DBS disclosure, a charge will be made to the successful candidate(s).

Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve. As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:

• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers. Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time. For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT. Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them., LSCft is committed to celebrating difference as an asset and we know that recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds helps to create a more flexible, creative and effective workforce. We actively challenge discrimination and welcome applications from people regardless of age, disability (particularly those with experience of accessing or caring for someone who has accessed mental health or learning disability services), ethnicity, gender, religion or belief or sexual orientation. Our goal is for the Trust to be truly representative of the communities we serve so we are particularly keen to receive applications from people in under-represented groups. If there is anything you'd like to discuss in relation to your application then please ask.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area. Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview. For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.