Liaison and Diversion Service

There are high numbers of people with mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and other psychosocial vulnerabilities who enter the youth and criminal justice systems, who could be managed more appropriately in the community, or diverted from the justice pathway altogether. The service aims to provide early intervention for vulnerable people as they come to the attention of the criminal justice system, providing a prompt response to concerns raised by the police, probation service, youth offending teams or court staff, and provide critical information to decision-makers in the justice system, in real time, when it comes to charging and sentencing these vulnerable people. In working in this way, the service aims to help reduce reoffending, reduce unnecessary use of police and court time, ensure that health/social matters are dealt with by relevant agencies, and reduce health inequalities for some of the most vulnerable in society.

 

What do we do?

Our team works with people from the age of 10 upwards who come in to contact with criminal justice systems. We aim to identify a person’s vulnerabilities at the earliest point of the criminal justice system and share relevant information with the justice agencies. Where appropriate we will then refer them into relevant services, supporting them through the referral process. We also support, where required, those people with vulnerabilities through the criminal justice system.

Whilst we are not a treatment service, we do operate an assertive follow up service within the remit of promoting engagement with onward services in order to maximise engagement with community services. This work may include:

• Specialist assessment (Psychology and Speech, Language and Communication needs)/Case formulation with possible time-limited intervention: To support the clear understanding of an identified vulnerability to agencies and prepare the service user in readiness to engage with relevant mainstream services inclusive of CJS system if relevant.
• Preparing justice agencies and supporting the vulnerable person through the criminal justice process: To support the criminal justice agencies in the best way they can to engage the service user in the criminal justice process and to educate/prepare/support the service user to understand the criminal justice process so they are able to engage in the process. This may include offering Easy Read material, the delivery of anxiety management and seeing the service user prior to and at different stages of the Criminal justice process.
• Working alongside the service user to access a range of relevant services: To support them with a self -referral, to register with an agency and support whilst referrals are processed and support engagement with the forward service. This may include ensuring they get to their first appointment, offering engagement interventions.