Health and Justice Court Practitioner - Social Worker/AHP

An exciting and unique opportunity has arisen for experienced practitioners with criminal justice interest to work in Sussex Health & Justice Service. This will include providing high quality assessments and support of people attending the Courts. The unique service is delivered to people of all ages, with any vulnerability including but not limited to; mental health, physical health, learning disability, head injury, unemployment, housing, educational needs etc.

This exciting service is currently funded by NHS England and is delivered by Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The successful applicants must be experienced in risk assessment, highly motivated and someone who is looking for a new challenge and have the skills to make a difference.

Applicants must be RMN, RNLD, RGN, social worker or AHP qualified and have experience in working with service users with complex needs.


Detailed job description and main responsibilities

**Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification, in summary:**

Health & Justice Practitioners are based within the Courts in Sussex (Brighton, Crawley and Hastings) to offer screening, assessments, arrange support and liaise with the professionals within the criminal justice system in order to assist with sentencing decisions and ensure the best outcomes for individuals.

You have access to daily lists of remanded individuals and walk ins due to appear in Court. Health systems are checked in order to provide information to the Courts and also triage and identify those who may have vulnerabilities which would meet the eligibility criteria for the Health & Justice Service. Individuals attending court on bail may also be referred to the service via other court agencies.
Those individuals are then offered assessments which consider a range of social, physical and emotional needs. You will make onward referrals to services which are required to meet individuals needs identified from the assessment. You will also need to consider whether informal admission to hospital or requests for Mental Health Act assessments are required to divert people from the Criminal Justice System.

The Court Health & Justice Practitioner ensures that all relevant agencies are informed of needs and risks for individuals involved in the Court process. This includes liaising with Solicitors, Court Clerks, Magistrates, Judges, Crown Prosecution Service, Probation Officers and any other related professionals.
This is an essential part of the role to ensure that the most appropriate outcomes are achieved for vulnerable people. You may be invited into Court to share information during hearings where applicable or may be required to complete Court reports for future hearings.

You will be the point of contact for professionals based in Court and will provide background information to other agencies when required. This includes sharing of information with the Probation Service to assist with Pre-sentencing reports or to assist with decision making regarding potential sentencing decisions such as Alcohol/Drug/Mental Health Treatment Requirements.

You are an essential member of the Court who can provide advice, support and information to other agencies to increase awareness and understanding of mental health, social inequalities and ensuring that the best possible outcomes are achieved to reduce recidivism and injustice.