Liaison and Diversion Practitioner

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has become available for a qualified Band 6 Mental Health Nurse to join Cambridgeshire Liaison and Diversion Service, who support people with vulnerabilities, of all ages who find themselves in the criminal justice system.

Practitioners are based in courts and police custody units across the county. Their role is to screen and assess service users of all ages and where appropriate divert them out of the criminal justice system where there are no public protection issues.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be working in police custodies and the Magistrates courts across the county, and will either be based in Cambridge or Peterborough. This may also include visiting rural areas to ensure that there is an equitable service for all service users to access.

The role will include working in host environments, working at times autonomously from the main team but with the support from police, court and probation staff.

Please note for this role you will be required to travel independently around the county meeting strict time deadlines. You will need to hold a full UK driving licence* and have use of a vehicle. You cannot use public transport for this role as this is not a reliable form of transport and will not allow you to meet service needs. Please confirm in your application that you meet the specified criteria.

*DVLA have a number of reciprocal arrangements with overseas countries, for further information please visit the DVLA website

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.

• The successful candidate will be working predominantly within Police custodies and courts across the county offering vulnerability screens to individuals who become involved in the criminal pathway.
• They will also help with support and advise partners that the team work closely with in the management of risk while in custody.
• The aim is to assess and then signpost to appropriate services and divert out of the criminal justice system where there are no public protection issues.
• The role also includes teaching and awareness sessions to all key partners and to ensure that there is robust partnership working at all times.