Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 351-SPS1389-MS
- Employer
- Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Base TBC
- Town
- The Bay
- Salary
- £37,338 - £44,962 per annum (subject to confirmation)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/04/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Liaison & Diversion Specialist Practitioner
Band 6
Our Vision is to provide the best mental health, learning disability, autism and community based services for the populations we serve.
As an integrated mental health, learning disability and community Trust, Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including:
• Primary and secondary mental health care for children and adults including specialist inpatient child and adolescent mental health provision, perinatal mental health, forensic services including low and medium secure care.
• Specialist community support for children and adults with learning disabilities and autism, including intensive support.
• Community physical health and well-being services for children and adults.
The Trust was first established in 2002 and employs approximately 7,000 staff who provide care from more than 400 sites. The organisation offers opportunities for medics, mental health and general nurses, allied health professionals, psychology, administration and clerical staff, apprentices and volunteers.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust supports flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, home/remote working, and flexi-time.
For more information visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
Please note that further communication from Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust (LSCft) will normally be to the email address given on the application form. You should also ensure that email addresses and telephone numbers are provided for your referees, to enable LSCft to contact them.
Job overview
Important: This post requires successful candidates to undergo NPPV Level 2 (full) Police Vetting of which successful clearance is essential in order to fulfil the role and as part of this vetting process the candidate is required to have been resident in the UK for at least three years.
Key Responsibilities:
This post is to work across the 3 Liaison and Diversion teams covering The Bay; Barrow in Furness, Kendal and Lancaster police stations.
The Liaison & Diversion service operates an All Age (from age of criminal responsibility – 10yrs), all Vulnerability model based on the National Liaison & Diversion operating model produced by NHS England and are based in police stations working and supporting individuals coming into police custody. The Bradley Report provides the basis for the development of these services locally and nationally.
Liaison and Diversion (L&D) services identify people who have substance misuse, mental health, learning disability 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, if required.
Main duties of the job
This is an ‘all age’ service and so you will be required to work with people from the age of 10 years upwards who are detained within custody or referred via the Voluntary Attendance pathway however all practitioners are expected to see both Children and Young People and adults.
The main things that L&D services do for the people we see are identification, screening, assessment and referral to other services.
- We work in Police Custody Suites and Courts throughout Lancashire & Cumbria and offer assessments to individuals within the Criminal Justice system including Voluntary Attendees
- We look to identify unmet need and vulnerabilities that often lead to or exacerbate offending behaviour, offer onward referral and signposting as appropriate.
- We liaise across agencies to support onward planning and intervention to address needs
- We offer some brief community based intervention to maximise service user access and engagement with those appropriate services
- We help to inform decision makers with relevant and timely information to support sentencing and disposal outcome
Working for our organisation
The Liaison and Diversion Specialist Practitioner is someone with a clinical qualification and experience and knowledge of Liaison and Diversion and/or with specialist knowledge and experience of working with groups likely to be disadvantaged by their involvement in the criminal justice system. The role will be to support the day to day management of the team, to provide supervisions, to support the work of the Team Manager, deputising in their absence.
The Specialist Liaison and Diversion Practitioner, will be a professionally registered practitioner to work within the Criminal Justice Pathway, providing assessment of Mental Health, Learning Disability, Complex Health and social needs and Capacity, liaison, referral and guidance for persons who have come to the attention of the Criminal Justice Agencies.
Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.
The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.
For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT.
For more details on this vacancy please review the attached job description and person specification.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Professional recognised qualification such as RMN, Learning Disability Nurse, Social Worker, and Occupational Therapist.
Desirable criteria
- Specialist knowledge and experience of working with groups likely to be disadvantaged due to Health and Social needs and vulnerability or by their involvement in the justice system.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Ideally AYSE or preceptorship.
- IT knowledge/ experience
Desirable criteria
- Experience and knowledge of supervising staff. Providing supervision.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Two years post qualifying experience.
Desirable criteria
- Leadership experience.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Leadership skills
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Gail McGregor
- Job title
- Team Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07929795507
- Additional information
Victoria Chesher,
Tel: 07866 143712/ 07960 858024
Hayley McGoldrick
Tel: 07790578489
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