Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
Would you like a fascinating, fast moving, fulfilling and flexible role? If the answer is yes, then we are seeking to recruit a Women's Coordinator to join our established, successful and dynamic team.
Work with enthusiastic and passionate colleagues to make a real difference to women's lives by identifying their support needs and encouraging them to engage with services that can help them. Collaborate with a range of professionals across health, justice and social care to reduce reoffending and support safer communities.
The role of Women's Coordinator is both interesting and challenging, where you will experience all aspects of the criminal justice system. We are looking for a forward thinking and enthusiastic practitioner, with a keen eye for developing women specific initiatives, the ability to identify and manage safeguarding needs, enable the formulation of comprehensive court reports and the experience to support women with a wide range of identified health or social vulnerabilities.
The successful candidate will work in Police Custody Suites, Courts, Prisons and varying community locations across Kent and Medway, so some experience of liaison, crisis intervention or Forensic services would be an advantage. You will be working with women who experience mental health needs, learning disabilities, communication difficulties, drug and alcohol misuse and other health and social vulnerabilities.
Main duties of the job
The Women's Coordinator will work as a member of Liaison, Diversion & Reconnect providing screening and supported follow up for females coming to the attention of the criminal justice system.
By working across police custody suites, prisons, courts and the community, you will provide face to face screening/assessment of women which will inform appropriate methods of disposal. You will develop effective links with a multitude of services, enabling smooth pathways through the criminal justice system. You will provide women with supported access to community services, addressing health and social needs in an attempt to reduce reoffending. You will work closely with key partners, reporting information directly to Magistrates, ensuring the most appropriate outcomes for women within the criminal justice system.
The post holder must hold a full, valid, UK driving licence and have access to a car/vehicle to use for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
Job responsibilities
1. To attend police custody suites, magistrates courts and other community locations to provide screening, assessments and advice.
2. Liaise with health and social care services in the statutory and non-statutory sectors to manage the health and social needs of women.
3. To provide the support agreed with service users through their intervention plan and actively encourage service users to play a positive part.
4. To act as an advocate for service users and carers.
5. To ensure any areas of concern or risk are communicated to LD&R management in a timely fashion.
6. To provide the police, court and care providers with written information pertaining to the individual in a timely fashion to inform disposal.
7. To address the court in person when necessary in order to advise on the needs of the suspect, appropriate disposal and care pathway of the particular case.
8. To work closely and build links with all referring agencies within the custody suite and courts, acting as a single point of contact for LD&R.
9. Liaise with mental health services such as crisis, inpatient, intake and assertive outreach clinical teams, to enable provision of high quality joined-up mental health care.
10. To refer to the prison in-reach teams where custody is indicated, ensuring appropriate information is received along the care pathway.
11. To provide supported specialist advice and guidance to Probation teams, courts and the custody suites where indicated.
12. To be able to communicate clearly with a diverse group of service users.
13. To work towards autonomy, with the ability to organise and manage own time according to delegated workload.
14. Provide specialist training for staff within the criminal justice system.
15. Adhere to Local Authority policy concerning child protection and adult protection procedures.
16. Adhere to KMPTs policies, procedures and statutory requirements.
17. Adhere and refer to the LD&R Service Manual.
18. Attend appropriate trust mandatory training and specific LD&R training.
19. Participate in staff supervision and appraisal systems in agreement with supervision standards identified through the KMPT.
20. Assist in the development of evaluation and auditing processes to ensure best practice and best value for service users.
21. To take accountability for own professional practice in line with relevant professional codes of conduct.
22. To ensure all mandatory training is up to date, and identify and attend any additional training relevant to the role.
23. To maintain accurate and up to date records using RIO and manage Safeguarding referrals and updates.
24. To align practice to the national Liaison and Diversion guidance for working with women.
25. To report outcomes and develop services through the LD&R governance structure.
Person Specification
Experience
* Experience of working with women to support health and social care vulnerabilities.
Qualifications
* Appropriate qualification for working with women in the criminal justice system.
* Experience of working in the criminal justice system.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
Kent & Medway NHS & Social Care Partnership Trust
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