Overview
We are looking for you to join our Hampshire Liaison and Diversion team. You will have a keen interest in Liaison and Diversion and a passion about supporting our service users as they make their way through police custody, court and up to prison. We are a dynamic, people-centred team who are passionate about health outcomes for those making their way through the criminal justice system. With a reputation for excellence, our service is committed to improving the health of our clients, identifying care pathways, and reducing reoffending. We are recognised with a number of awards, including a Thames Valley/Hampshire Constabulary Police Commendation, Berkshire Healthcare ‘Team of the Year’ and runner-up for the Howard League for Penal Reform ‘Liaison and Diversion Service of the Year’. We value our employees and put people first. We achieved an ‘Outstanding’ rating overall in our latest CQC inspection, which found that: ‘Managers across Berkshire Healthcare promoted a positive culture that supported and valued staff, creating a sense of common purpose based on shared values.’
We operate across Hampshire, but this post is predominantly based in the community working with those who have been released from HMP Winchester working for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust.
Responsibilities
* Monday - Friday 9am-5pm based primarily with the community or the prison settings; there may be times you are required to step into court and custody too.
* You will support people who are typically hard to engage, talk to families and friends to gain a holistic understanding of the client’s circumstances and facilitate their access to support services, providing individualised support with practical problems or difficulties that may be affecting their health and wellbeing.
* An empathetic advocate of service users, you will promote their rights and responsibilities, build a rapport, whilst maintaining appropriate and transparent boundaries. You will be emotionally resilient, able to cope with people potentially displaying challenging behaviour and distressing situations.
* To provide help and advice to service users that includes housing, social isolation and exclusion, education, debt management and employment problems etc.
* To provide the 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.
About Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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
Benefits
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
Requirements (the “must haves”)
* An NVQ level 3 in Health & Social Care or equivalent or relevant training to diploma level.
* A warm personality, good communication and people skills.
* Licence holder with access to your own vehicle who is prepared to travel across multiple sites in Hampshire as required.
Application and Equality
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: Gaynor Cowan on 03001235066 or email: gaynor.cowan@berkshire.nhs.uk who’ll be delighted to help. 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. This advert closes on Sunday 5 Oct 2025.
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