Liaison and Diversion Court Practitioner

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

At any one time, around 23,000 people in Norfolk and Suffolk are receiving care and attention from the Trust. We believe in whole life care - seeing people in the context of their whole lives, understanding the importance of good physical health, friends, family, spirituality, culture, home, work, education and a sense of purpose and achievement to experience good mental health.

Nearly 3,800 full and part-time practitioners care for our service users in hospitals, in the community and in their own homes, whilst an additional 1,400+ staff provide non-clinical support, including cleaning, catering, delivering supplies, ward administration, information technology, human resources and financial services.

We are committed to delivering quality driven mental health services. Every individual makes a valuable contribution. We are proud of our staff who have been commended for the care they provide. Do you value working positively, respectfully and together? If so, we’d love you to join us

JOB DESCRIPTION/PERSON SPECIFICATION

YOUR APPLICATION

**Job overview**:
The Norfolk & Suffolk Liaison and Diversion service provides a quality vulnerability screening and advice service to agencies and individuals who are going through the criminal justice system. Individuals may present in police custody or at the court stage. An exciting opportunity has arisen within our service to recruit a full time court based band 6 Liaison and Diversion practitioner
- servicing the Magistrates and Crown courts sites in Norwich, Norfolk.

Please note that if you do not have court experience, you will be supported by a knowledgeable court lead and training can be provided to improve your knowledge base. We want to develop your existing skills and strengths in order for you to feel confident when executing the main duties of the job. We would be happy to speak with you about the role if you have any question before applying.

**Main duties of the job**:
Your primary role will be to establish strong working relationships with agencies and services working within Crown Court settings. You will possess excellent interpersonal skills that will enable you to challenge, motivate, influence and inspire your colleagues at all levels. As part of a small team you will work within the courts and with the probation service. You will also be part of the wider Liaison and Diversion service which operates across both Norfolk and Suffolk in the Police Investigation Centres.

The practitioner will work out of the courts, screening individuals, providing information and advice to a range of agencies (judiciary, probation, & defence solicitors etc), including completion of court reports giving consideration for reasonable adjustments and special measures, the role of Mental Health Treatment Requirements, understanding when to request a psychiatric and/or psychology report, etc. The practitioner will also have an understanding of Part III of the _Mental Health Act._

**Working for our organisation**:
**Benefits**

Benefits included with this role are:

- NHS pension
- A comprehensive in house & external training programmes
- Career progression
- Starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
- Staff physio service
- Gym membership
- NHS discounts and many more

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing their experiences and learning from each other.

**NSFT is committed to lifelong learning and continuous professional development (CPD) for its entire staff. There are a variety of definitions of CPD across the professions, but it is usually taken to mean learning activities which update existing skills.**

**CPD is determined through appraisal with a personal development plan agreed between an individual and their manager, with the commitment of the necessary time and resources.**

**Detailed job description and main responsibilities**:
**Main duties of the job**

Your primary role will be to establish strong working relationships with agencies and services working within Court settings. You will possess excellent interpersonal skills that will enable you to challenge, motivate, influence and inspire your colleagues at all levels.

The remit of a Crown Court Liaison and Diversion practitioner will be:

- To advise on the MHA 1983 (amended 2007), especially Part III. (Part III of the 1983 Mental Health Act (amended 2007) covers patients concerned with criminal proceedings). With mental health law arising comparatively rarely in barristers’ experience, they may value assistance from the Liaison and Diversion Service navigating mental health pathways.
- A good working knowledge of the Criminal Procedures a