Are you an experienced, highly motivated mental health practitioner and who is passionate about improving health outcomes for those within the Criminal Justice system?

We now have the opportunity to recruit one full time vacancy (1.0 WTE) for Band 7 Senior Police Liaison Practitioner to join our well established team working in MET police custody suites, Acton and Hammersmith. These custody suites serve large diverse boroughs within the West London area.

The police Liaison teams sits within a wider Liaison and Diversion service in West London NHS Trust, including Court Diversion at Westminster and Crown Court at Isleworth and Youth Justice Tri Borough. We provide a 7-day service to the suites, ensuring access to all those who become involved in the Criminal Justice system.

We are looking for suitably experienced mental health professionals rather than one particular discipline. We are interested in hearing from mental health/Learning disability nurses, social workers or occupational therapists.

Main duties of the job

We provide proactive screening and assessment to individuals within Police custody, identifying need/vulnerabilities, signposting to other services and where indicated diverting to health. You will be primarily screening those over 18 but at times will be expected to assess children and young people if our Youth team is not available. Our aim is to improve overall health outcomes, reduce further police contact and re-offending rates, and to avert disorder-related crises.

This scheme, commissioned by NHS England operate to a standard model and similar schemes are now available in every part of the country. It is an all-age service and all women and people under the age of 18 are screened as mandatory due to their vulnerability within the system.

The service needs practitioners who are able to think quickly and work independently under pressure when screening and assessing vulnerable people in police custody. You will need excellent communication and risk management skills and demonstrate a commitment to close partnership working with the Police and other agencies, both statutory and voluntary.

The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate knowledge and direct experience of the crisis pathway and risk management to a high standard and should have previous experience working with young people and adults within acute, community and/or forensic settings.

If you think that this is you, your enthusiastic and committed, then our friendly team is for you.

About us

West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse providers of mental health, community and social care in the UK.

Our 3,982 staff care for people in hospital and in the community, helping them to recover and go on to lead full and productive lives. We aim to be the best organisation of our kind in the country.

We provide care and treatment for more than 800,000 people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, delivering services in the community (at home, in GP surgeries and care homes), hospital, specialist clinics and forensic (secure) units.

We'rerated good overall by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Together, we're committed to promoting hope and wellbeing, working with patients, service users, carers, families and partners across the communities we serve.

We are keen to ensure that our workforce reflects the community it serves, particularly in terms of ethnicity, gender, disability, LGBTQ+ and experience of mental illness.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Successful candidates will need to be vetted by the Metropolitan Police and would not be able to begin work until cleared (process takes at least four months). Vetting includes the declaration of criminal convictions or any Police involvement i.e. investigations even if no further action, warnings, cautions (no matter how old), as well as Count Court Judgements and applicants should have a min three-year residency. This process is much more in-depth than an enhanced DBS check and will review family and social associations as well as your own probity.

The post holder will work under the remit of the Forensic Community Service providing a proactive assessment, liaison and diversion service in two Police Custody Suites within the West London area.

The post holder will join an established team which already comprises of 7 x Band 7 Police Liaison Practitioners. The post holder will work in partnership with health, social services and the criminal justice system, to ensure that individuals presenting with mental health problems in police custody have their needs addressed and are diverted into appropriate health care services as necessary. Unsocial hours working will be required, including bank holidays.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified Registered Mental Health Nurse with current registration or similar professional qualification
• Meaningful evidence of continuing professional development and post registration training.
• Competence in relation to clinical information systems, spreadsheets, databases.

Desirable

• Specialist forensic risk assessment training

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team.
• A minimum of 2 years' post-registration experience.
• Experience of crisis work and risk assessment/management.
• Application of the Mental Health Act (2007) and the Mental Capacity Act (2005)
• Experience of management and supervising staff
• Lone Working

Desirable

• Experience of working with young people and assessing clients with drug and alcohol related problems
• Experience of service development
• Experience of working in a criminal justice setting and/or another mental health liaison service

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to use information technology systems in order to carry out duties
• Ability to make comprehensive psycho-social assessments
• Good report writing skills.
• Ability to make sound and safe risk assessments
• Evidence of effective time management and organisational skills.
• Ability to work independently and to work as a member of a multi-disciplinary/multi-agency team.
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach that considers the needs of the whole person.
• Ability to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.

Desirable

• Knowledge of current legislation relating to community mental health provision and forensic psychiatry (Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act)
• Familiarity with research, reports and publications relevant to liaison and diversion.
• Knowledge of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1884 and PACE Codes of Practice 2004.
• Ability to promote service users' involvement

Other Requirements

Essential

• Sickness (or attendance) record that is acceptable to the Trust to be checked at interview.
• Declared medically fit by the Occupational Health department to perform the duties of the post.
• Capable of completing scrutiny of Police NPPV2 Vetting procedure for both Met and City forces.
• The post-holder must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.

Employer details

Employer name

West London NHS Trust

Address

St Bernards

SOUTHALL

UB1 3EU

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

222-SF-563