Senior Practitioner - Criminal Justice Mental Health Service

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South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good'.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone's potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I'm going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you'll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity for a skilled practitioner with an interest and/or experience in the criminal justice system to be an integral part of both a court liaison and diversion team and a police custody suite assessment team. You will be working with both adults and young people, within what is a very interesting and rewarding area of care that is continuing to develop further.

As a front-line service, each day can be different in what can be a busy and unpredictable environment.

We are looking for a skilled and confident individual who has experience of complex assessments (including assessment of risk), decision making and who is adept at building relationships with service users and professional partners.

The successful applicant will work across the service in order to help identify individuals who present with vulnerabilities that may include mental health issues, neurodevelopmental disorders, substance misuse and who may present with a degree of risk.

The service ethos is to proactively intervene at the earliest possible opportunity in the Criminal Justice system pathway, so that those in need of support receive appropriate care and treatment in a timely fashion.

Main duties of the job

As a Liaison and Diversion Practitioner, some of the responsibilities you can expect will include:

• Proactive screening of cases in police custody or at court.
• On-the-day triaging and assessment - including full mental state examinations, risk assessment and gathering of background history for individuals presenting with a wide variety of established or suspected needs. These can include anxiety, challenging behaviour, serious mental illness, personality disorder, learning disorders, social communication and language difficulties, substance misuse and associated social issues within police custody.
• Assisting detainees who present with urgent and non-urgent clinical issues that may include onward referrals for a Mental Health Act assessment.
• Providing advice, information and support to custody/court personnel.
• Provision of written assessment summaries to police, court and other relevant agencies.
• Liaising with CAMHS, YOT practitioners or other relevant agencies for young people.
• Recording data for regular auditing and evaluation.
• Act as a positive role model for junior staff and custody partners in their day to day practice and the supervision and professional development of junior staff.
• Enhancing and developing relationships within Criminal Justice Services and building strong links between Health, Social Services and the Criminal Justice System
• A deputy function for the Operational Lead when needed.

Some weekend working is involved in the role.

Working for our organisation

South London and Maudsley Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is responsible for providing NHS care and treatment for people with wide ranging vulnerabilities.

Locally, we deliver mental health services for people living in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark; and substance misuse services for residents of Bexley, Lambeth, Greenwich and Wandsworth.

Career Progression pathways and development opportunities:

We are committed to get the very best out of our staff and support staff in their career aspirations. We have career pathways available, where you will be able to develop your skills and build on your experience to progress into other roles across different specialties. This could include being a specialist practitioner at Crown Court, being an operational team lead in a Liaison and Diversion service or developing your career elsewhere in our organisation.

Within SLaM there are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes.

We hire people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it's the right thing to do but because it makes us better at what we do. No matter your age, gender, ethnicity, disability, gender identity, religion or sexual orientation, if you are committed to generating the best possible outcomes for our service users then we want to hear from you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To work with colleagues, police, custody healthcare staff and other custody/court staff (inc Appropriate Adults) in order to provide a comprehensive and integrated vulnerability screening and assessment service.

To demonstrate strong assessment skills, solid problem solving and decision making and developing holistic and patient centred care plans whilst also being able to recognise when they may need senior clinical/managerial advice/support and to actively seek this in the clinical setting.

To facilitate appropriate signposting to/referring on, or interventions in close collaboration and liaison with other relevant agencies. Developing a good working knowledge and understanding of local services and pathways will be important in this role. This will be with the ambition of facilitating a persons diversion away from the criminal justice pathway at the earliest possible point. (The term 'diversion' being used in its widest possible sense and includes urgent and non-urgent pathways).

Demonstrate effective communication with colleagues, partners and stakeholders, people in vulnerable groups that is inclusive, collaborative and helpful. Communication types include verbal, written and digital methods of communication.

To actively promote relationships with colleagues that support open communication and collaborative working, taking personal responsibility for one's contribution to this process at all times.

To maintain a high standard of written communication that is mindful of the readership, takes into account the legal context and will also involve recording appropriate events and observations to evidence interventions.

Proactively seek feedback on an individual's experiences of liaison and diversion to inform and shape our service.

Please see the combined job description and person specification for more details of the role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Nursing & Midwifery Registered and those with an equivalent mental health professional registration will be considered. (AI) *For Registered Psychologists, candidates must be a current member of the British Psychology Society and registered with a suitable subdomain having completed a Masters in Forensic or Criminal Psychology

Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable experience working in MH services, particularly in crisis management services with acutely unwell people (A+E liaison, CMHT, Home Treatment, for example). (AI)
• Experience of organising and delivering clinical supervision to junior staff along with maintenance of records (A)
• Demonstrable evidence of risk assessment/management. (AI)
• Evidence of autonomous working and/or shift coordination (AI)
• Experience of delivering supervision to junior staff (A)

Desirable criteria

• Prior experience of working with Mentally Disordered Offenders and the Criminal Justice System (AI)
• Experience of conflict management and resolution. (AI)
• Demonstrable knowledge of Mental Health Act 1983 Part II and III (as amended by the Mental Health Act 2007).
• Knowledge of counselling skills/cognitive behavioural skills and other psychosocial interventions (AI)
• Audit and research. (A)

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to plan and organise a range of complex clinical activities which require judgements to be made on competing factors (AI).
• Knowledge of mental health disorders as well as their relationships to physical disorders (AI).
• Have knowledge and skills to work with specialist groups of people, including young Desirable Requirements Ability to exercise initiative, flexibility and tact. Ability to contribute to new strategies and policy development. Working knowledge of the criminal justice system, Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984 and the PACE Codes of Practice 2004 people, people with dual diagnoses and personality disorder (AI).
• Ability to undertake risk assessments using a standardised or semi-structured risk assessment method. (includes assessment and management of intentional self-harm).
• Ability to engage challenging and/or acutely distressed patients in potentially hostile and/or antagonistic situations and use de-escalation techniques effectively.
• Ability to prioritise workload appropriately.
• An understanding of issues relating to equal opportunities and confidentiality.
• Knowledge of Data Protection Act. Knowledge of Health & Safety requirements.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to co-ordinate care/liaise across multiple agencies
• Excellent communication skills, both in oral and written forms
• Excellent computer skills, including the ability to access and maintain electronic health and statistical records

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

• Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
• Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
• We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note:

• That all applications for this post will need to be made online
• That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
• That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
• That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
• That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
• That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
• That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
• That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe'

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.

Documents to download

• Band 7 JD & PS (PDF, 250.8KB)
• SLaM Staff Benefits (PDF, 1.1MB)
• Happy to Talk Flexible Working (PDF, 680.1KB)