Liaison and diversion service

About the service

Liaison and diversion services are based in the police stations in Doncaster, Barnsley and Shepcote Lane in Sheffield. They provide people with assistance in police cells, courts or in the community.

Staff in our service can help vulnerable adults and young people from when they first come into contact with the criminal justice system ensuring the right support can be accessed from the start.

By ‘vulnerable’ we mean people with needs which might include mental health needs, learning disabilities or difficulties, communication difficulties, alcohol or substance misuse issues or housing concerns.

The aim of the service is to provide people with support through the criminal justice system. The team can talk to people one-to-one to help with any issues or problems and where appropriate divert people, with support, out of the criminal justice system into health, social care or to other support services.

About the service

The service aims to improve the overall health and social care outcomes of vulnerable young people and adults, re-engaging them with services where they may have lost contact, and where appropriate, diverting them away from the criminal justice system and supporting them in the reduction of re-offending.

The South Yorkshire liaison and diversion service will work closely with young people and adults within the criminal justice system to identify those who present as vulnerable and needing additional support due to unmet needs. As teams are based within police and court settings it enables early screening assessments of need and risk to take place, and helps agencies across the criminal justice system to make informed decisions together.

Our specialist teams, made up of social workers, practitioners, administrative staff and support workers, have a range of clinical and managerial skills, knowledge and expertise, providing extensive interventions which cover a range of health, social care and support needs including;

• Ensuring needs led assessments are provided by experienced care workers during a vulnerable period tailoring care to meet their needs. Assessments include comprehensive mental health and drug and alcohol assessments, dual diagnosis work and pathways into learning disability services.
• Providing highly specialist knowledge and skills and support around legal requirements including the Mental Health Act and associated legislation
• Working in partnership with other third sector organisations to provide a whole package to service users and their carers providing urgent access, and signposting to other relevant services
• Involving service users and carers in all aspects of care and support patients on their journey to recovery.
• Offering support to individuals around managing their mental health, looking after themselves, recovery social networks and rebuilding self-esteem
• Having a daily presence within the police custody suite and Magistrates Court to provide advice and support.

Staff you may meet

Nursing staff
Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centers, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.

Administrative staff
Provide essential support to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This can be in a variety of different settings, with administrators working as a receptionist in a clinic or a clerk on a ward. They may also be working closely with a consultant as a medical secretary.

Other clinical staff
The NHS employs a wide range of clinical staff, it wouldn’t be possible to list them all on this website! All our clinical staff are skilled, dedicated professionals who adhere to high standards of training and work-place practice.

Social worker
Social workers help, support and protect people who are facing difficulties in their lives. They help people to take positive steps to overcome problems and improve their lives. This could involve assessing and reviewing a service user’s situation, building relationships with service users and their families and agreeing what practical support someone needs.

Specialist advisor
We have a range of specialist advisors working in our Trust – they give advice on a wide range of different things, depending on what service they work in. So it could be, for example, mental health, stopping smoking, healthy eating or diabetes.

Why would someone choose the service?

• To receive a needs-led assessment from experienced caring workers, whilst at a vulnerable period.
• We are a highly specialised service with extensive years of mental health and specialist criminal justice experience.
• We provide highly specialised knowledge and skills in legal requirements such as mental health legislation.
• We work in partnership with other third sector organisations to provide a whole package to service users and their carers.
• Our team are able to provide urgent access, and signpost to other relevant services.
• We aim to involve service users and carers in all aspects of care and support patients on their journey to recovery.

Staff you may meet

Administrator

Administrative staff provide essential support to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. This can be in a variety of different settings, with administrators working as a receptionist in a clinic or a clerk on a ward. They may also be working closely with a consultant as a medical secretary.

Nurse

Nurses who choose to specialise in the mental health branch of nursing work with GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others, to help care for patients. Increasingly, care is given in the community, with mental health nurses visiting patients and their families at home, in residential centres, in prisons or in specialist clinics or units.

Other clinical staff

The NHS employs a wide range of clinical staff, it wouldn’t be possible to list them all on this website! All our clinical staff are skilled, dedicated professionals who adhere to high standards of training and work-place practice.

Social worker

Social workers help, support and protect people who are facing difficulties in their lives. They help people to take positive steps to overcome problems and improve their lives. This could involve assessing and reviewing a service user’s situation, building relationships with service users and their families and agreeing what practical support someone needs.

Specialist advisor

We have a range of specialist advisors working in our Trust – they give advice on a wide range of different things, depending on what service they work in. So it could be, for example, mental health, stopping smoking, healthy eating or diabetes.