Liasion & Diversion Practitioner - NHS
Job overview
Liaison & Diversion Practitioner – Isle of Wight
Are you a registered Mental Health Nurse, Learning Disability Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Health Visitor, or Speech & Language Therapist with relevant experience? If you're passionate about making a real difference in people’s lives, we’d love to have you on our Isle of Wight Liaison and Diversion team.
We’re a supportive, people-first team that cares deeply about helping individuals who find themselves in the criminal justice system. From police custody through to court—and sometimes prison—we’re there to guide, support, and make sure no one slips through the cracks.
Our service has been recognised with several awards, including a Police Commendation, ‘Team of the Year’ at Berkshire Healthcare, and we were runner-up for the Howard League for Penal Reform’s ‘Liaison and Diversion Service of the Year’. We also take pride in our workplace culture.Our Trust has been rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC, who highlighted how much we value and support our staff.
Applications for this role will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible, as vacancies may close early.
Main duties of the job
About the Job- To attend police custody suites and magistrates’ courts and provide assessments, advice and identify robust care pathways, for individuals where a potential health vulnerability has been identified.
- To provide the police and court with written and verbal information pertaining to the - individual in a timely fashion to inform disposal.
- 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.
- To work autonomously, with the ability to organise and manage own time according to delegated workload.
Working pattern + Service operating hours
Our service operates in police custody from 0900-1700, 7 days a week over the whole year. This would include two weekends per calendar month. Our service does not operate at night. Any request for specific working pattens can be considered in line with our flexible working policy.
Work base: You will work from primarily Newport Police station and Newport magistrates Court.Parking: Parking is provided for staff at all sites
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 you to be considered for this role:
- A professional qualification at degree level or equivalent in either Mental Health Nursing, Learning Disabilities Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language, Health Visitor or Social Work along with relevant registration
- Significant post registration experience
- Licence holder with access to your own vehicle.
Please be aware that this post is subject to police vetting which requires that you have been a resident within the UK for a period of three years.
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.
We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have. Please don’t hesitate to call: Service Manager Pauline O’Callaghan on 07584 385 403 or email: [email protected] who’ll be delighted to help. Alternatively, you can also contact Clinical and Operational Lead Jessica Hillman on 0300 123 5066 or email: [email protected] .
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 degree level or equivalent in either Mental Health nursing, Learning Disability nursing, Occupational Therapy, Speech & Language Therapist , Social Work or Health Visitor with the necessary experience.
- Hold current registration with pertinent body (RMN, RNLD, SW, SALT, OT
- Evidence of post registration training and development
- Mentorship qualification or equivalent teaching qualification.
Previous Experience
Essential criteria- Ability to work autonomously, with the ability to organise and manage own time according to delegated workload.
- Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills.
- Ability to think creatively and problem solve
- Ability to work as part a team
- Significant experience and a minimum of 18 months at Band 5 or equivalent in a community setting.
- Ability to teach junior staff and students
- Training / presentation skills
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria- Professional in approach, manner and appearance.
- Demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable the post holder to carry out the role effectively
- Car owner / driver
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
These are the values that we live by at Berkshire Healthcare:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
We welcome people who share these values to come and work for us.
Please find attached the behaviour framework that underpins these values for this job role.
At Berkshire Healthcare, we foster an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs.
Watch our careers video to learn more.
We welcome talent from all backgrounds and offer guaranteed interviews to disabled applicants and armed forces community members who meet the minimum criteria.
Please note we may close positions before the advertised date.
If you need help with your application, please contact us on [email protected]
Once you have applied, please check your email regularly for updates. All appointments are subject to NHS Employment Checks, and false information may result in withdrawal of offers. For information on how we store your information, please review our privacy statement.
No agencies, please.