Mental Health Practitioner

Job overview

The Forensic Liaison & Diversion (L&D) Service  is looking for a Mental Health Practitioner to join our service. This is an exciting and unique opportunity to join the Forensic Liaison and Diversion Team in South-West London & St George’s Mental Health Trust (SWLSTG).

The Forensic Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services aim to provide early intervention for vulnerable people of all ages as they come to the attention of the criminal justice system.

Police Vetting:

The position can only formally be offered subject to successful Police Vetting to enable you to work in police custody locations. As such, you will be subjected to a significantly higher level of vetting compared with your DBS. This vetting is conducted by the Metropolitan Police. It is essentially a detailed background check. One of the most essential criteria is that you are required to have resided in the UK for at least 3 years.

Common Failures with Police vetting includes:

• Non declaration of criminal convictions or Police involvement i.e. investigations even if no further action, warnings, cautions (no matter how old)
• County Court Judgements – Straight refusal
• 3 year residency
• Defaults – No debt management plans in place. Default is allowed but must be satisfied, getting older and not gaining additional Defaults

Convictions which resulted in imprisonment or suspended sentence – straight refusal

Main duties of the job

The Forensic L&D Service works within an all ages and vulnerability model and identifies people who have mental health, learning disability, substance misuse or other vulnerabilities when they first come into contact with the criminal justice system as suspects, defendants or offenders. The service can then support people through the early stages of criminal system pathway, refer them for appropriate health or social care or enable them to be diverted away from the criminal justice system into a more appropriate setting, such as hospital if required.

The service aims to improve overall health outcomes for people and to support people in the reduction of re-offending. It also aims to identify vulnerabilities in people earlier on which reduces the likelihood that people will reach a crisis-point and helps to ensure the right support can be put in place from the start.

The successful applicant will work on a rota system with other Band 6 colleagues, covering both Wandsworth Police Custody Suite and Wimbledon Magistrates Court and will be expected to work unsocial hours including weekends and bank holidays.

As a mental health practitioner based within the criminal justice system you are required to go through Police Vetting Clearance as part of your application process which we will support you with. It is essential part of the application process therefore if you fail Police Vetting we will not be in a position to formally offer you the role.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide specialist knowledge on mental health and other vulnerabilities within the criminal justice system namely the courts, probation and prison services, providing expert advice and consultation with colleagues in the criminal justice system and mental health services.
• To work within codes of practice and professional guidelines and to be accountable for own professional practice.
• Ensure observance and the working of all relevant legal and statutory requirements.
• Required to act within broad occupational policies without guidance or direct supervision.
• To maintain client confidentiality at all times.
• To participate fully in continuous professional development and supervision.
• To regularly provide mentorship and supervision to students on placement.
• To collect and implement data from assessments made in the police stations and courts, within the Trust’s catchment area, which will assist in developing the service through review and research providing evidence to inform future service provision.
• When required to provide clinical assessments/reports to the courts, mental health services and prisons (both healthcare and safer custody) to ensure a smooth informed pathway of care.
• Assisting senior staff in ensuring that the team performs effectively and efficiently in providing high quality provision.
• Required to make clinical judgements on situations as they arise and respond using appropriate contingencies thereby ensuring the safety of the client and community at large.
• To work within the guidelines of the Trust professional policies and procedures.
• To review and reflect on own practice and performance through effective use of professional and operational supervision and appraisal.
• Contribute to the Trust's, directorates and team's clinical governance and quality arrangements and quality agenda.
• To provide training to a range of stakeholders on the role and function of L&D in addition to the risk management, crisis and care planning for the service user.