Job summary
- Main area
- Liaison & Diversion - TV
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 371-MHS875
- Employer
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Liaison and Diversion - Thames Valley
- Town
- Reading
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Liaison and Diversion Practitioner
Band 7
Job overview
Residence in the UK for at least 3 years is required for this role due to police vetting requirements.
Liaison and Diversion, is it right for you?
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Do you think everyone under arrest is guilty of a crime?
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Or that all criminals should be locked up for as long as possible?
If so, this is NOT the job for you.
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Do you believe that a person’s health needs, and past experiences can be linked to their criminal offending?
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By identifying and reducing health needs, can vulnerable people be supported to make positive changes and reduce the risk of reoffending?
We’re looking for a qualified Mental Health/Learning Disabilities Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker, or Health Visitor to join our Liaison and Diversion team.
You’re an enthusiastic, experienced, and registered health/social care professional with an interest in health and justice and a passion for supporting people in police custody or court. Previous experience in criminal justice and offender health is desirable, but not essential.
With a reputation for excellence, our service is committed to improving the health of our clients, identifying care pathways, and reducing reoffending. We’re an award-winning team, including the Howard League for Penal Reform ‘Liaison and Diversion Service of the Year’ and ‘Women’ categories, commendations from Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary and Berkshire Healthcare ‘Team of the Year’.
Main duties of the job
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To attend police custody suites and magistrates’ courts providing assessments, advice and identifying robust care pathways for individuals with a potential health vulnerability.
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To provide the police and court with written and verbal information about individuals in a timely fashion to help decision-making.
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To work closely and build links with all referring agencies within the custody suite, court and probation, acting as a single point of contact for health.
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To work autonomously, with the ability to organise and manage own time according to delegated workload.
Working for our organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The “must haves” for this role:
1. A professional qualification at degree level or equivalent in either Mental Health Nursing, Learning Disabilities Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Health Visitor or Social Work along with relevant registration.
2. Significant experience at Band 6 or equivalent in a community setting.
3. Able to assess and manage risk, formulate mitigation plans considering health and criminal justice outcomes
4. Licence holder with access to your own vehicle who is prepared to multiple sites across Berkshire as required.
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification.
We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted.
We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed.
Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential criteria
- A professional qualification at diploma, post graduate & degree level or equivalent in either Mental Health Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Social Work, or Health Visitor with the necessary experience
- Hold current registration with pertinent body (RMN, SW, HCPC, SCHN)
- Evidence of post registration training and development
Desirable criteria
- Practice Assessor / Mentorship qualification or equivalent teaching qualification.
Continuous Professional Development
Essential criteria
- Knowledge and experience of modern mental health services; social inclusion, recovery, service user involvement, carer support
- Further evidence of professional development and training
- Take responsibility for your own learning and be willing to continuously learn and grow, reflecting on own practice and encouraging others to develop their practice, actively using research to influence and change practice.
- Assess personal strengths and areas for development, identify own learning goals, identify, access and make use of relevant learning resources and opportunities, plan and achieve your learning goals
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant experience at Band 6 or equivalent in a community setting.
- Experience identifying and proposing changes to working practice, writing and implementing local policy & procedure
- Ability to think creatively and problem solve
- Ability to work as part a team understand dynamics & leadership
- Have knowledge and skills to work with specialist groups of people, including young people, people with dual diagnoses and personality disorder
Desirable criteria
- Experience of analysing and collating complex information from a range of sources and communicating this effectively to multiple partners and stakeholders
- Able to assess and manage risk, formulate mitigation plans taking into account health and criminal justice outcomes
- Ability to create and facilitate training and learning events
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
- An ability to work under pressure across multiple systems such as Criminal Justice & Health
- Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively.
- Ability to work effectively with service users and carers in a collaborative manner
- Understanding of the theories underpinning the concept of recovery and the wider determinants of health
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and the PACE Codes of Practice 2004
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable the post holder to carry out the role effectively
- Ability to travel efficiently to multiple sites
- In addition to DBS there is additional requirement to secure police vetting for this role.
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.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Louise Smith
- Job title
- Team Manager - Custody
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0300 3655555
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