Job summary
Do you have strive to make a difference? Are you keen to play a key role in supporting vulnerable individuals within the criminal justice system? Are you an experienced support worker? Join our dedicated LADS (Liaison and Diversion Service) team as a Support, Time and Recovery (STR) Worker!
As part of NHS England's Liaison and Diversion programme, our team works collaboratively with the Avon and Wiltshire Partnership to assess and support vulnerable individuals in the Avon and Somerset police area. Together, we strive to make a difference in people's lives by ensuring those with mental health and other support needs receive timely referrals and care.
If you're looking for a role where no two days are the same and where your organisational skills and positive energy will make a difference, we would love to hear from you. We are committed to supporting your growth and offer an environment where your contributions are valued every day.
We also welcome applications from individuals interested in this role as a secondment opportunity.This role is based at Bridgwater Police Custody and will also include rotational working within the LADS community access service. There are no night shifts included in the working pattern. The custody environment can be a challenging environment; if you have questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact us to find out more.
Main duties of the job
- Complete mental health and vulnerability assessments within custody and court settings.
- Identify unmet needs and refer individuals to appropriate health and social care services.
- Provide advice, support, and encouragement to service users, acting as a positive role model.
- Work collaboratively with multi-disciplinary teams, external agencies, and carers to promote wellbeing.
- Maintain accurate and timely clinical records in line with Trust policy.
- Share relevant information with criminal justice agencies (with consent) to inform decisions on charging and sentencing.
About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
- Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
- NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
- Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
- A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential
Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As an STR Worker, you will:
- Support individuals in custody, magistrates' court, and community access services.
- Facilitate engagement and recovery by using your professional and life experience.
- Promote effective communication with service users, families, carers, and partner agencies.
- Manage your own caseload, prioritising referrals and ensuring timely assessments.
- Contribute to safeguarding processes and uphold equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Participate in data collection and service evaluation to meet local and national requirements.
- Work flexibly across the region, with occasional travel and lone working.
- Uphold Trust policies on confidentiality, health and safety, and infection control.
A Day in the Life of an STR Worker -- Liaison & Diversion Service
"My role exists at the busy junction of the criminal justice system and healthcare. As an STR worker in the Liaison and Diversion Service (LADS), I meet people in custody following an arrest. Whether it's someone's first time in a cell or their fiftieth, my job is to ensure they are treated as a person first.
The day starts in our office inside the custody suite. Between the noise of the booking in area and the closing of cell doors, I work closely with custody sergeants and LADS practitioners to identify who needs our support. My morning is spent screening the cells and reviewing overnight referrals, looking for signs of substance misuse, learning disabilities, or mental health vulnerabilities.
Once we've identified those in need, we document them on our own board to prioritise the day. I support our practitioners when they are seeing individuals who are acutely unwell or at high risk of self-harm or suicide, I work independently with those requiring support for substance misuse or practical recovery. This collaborative approach ensures the high-risk clinical presentations are managed by practitioners with my support, while I can focus on building a rapport with others to address their specific needs.
A large part of my role involves "proactive" visits: seeing people in their cells who may not have been referred but show signs of vulnerability. It's important to build a rapport and assessing what support they need to help reduce reoffending and get that person support they may have not known of. This often involves brief interventions, such as helping them understand the legal process, and carrying out referrals to drug and alcohol services, veterans' support, women's only charities or community mental health teams.
The goal is simple but ambitious: to make sure that the moment a person leaves custody, there is a path or a service waiting for them. Whether they access that support independently or via a direct referral, we aim to either signpost or complete referrals
There is also a big relational aspect to my work within the community. Here, we support people who have had contact with the justice system but need help navigating the practical barriers that often lead to reoffending, things like GP registration, housing, finance, or employment.
In the community, you see the long term impact. I might be following up on a referral a practitioner has made in custody the previous day, helping a client engage with mental health teams they've previously struggled to reach. I often work alongside clinicians during formal assessments or attend multi-agency meetings with probation and social care, my focus remains on the relational side of recovery, enabling engagement for those who have historically felt excluded from support.
What I love most about this role is the privilege of treating people with dignity at a time when they often expect none. An arrest is for most people a chaotic moment; being a calm, supportive presence in that space is incredibly rewarding.
No two days are ever the same. The pace can be fast and at times also equally reduced so it takes a person who works well under pressure but also someone who can be proactive when its less busy, but the engagement, working alongside practitioners to change someone's direction, is what makes this a meaningful job. If you care about people and believe in second chances and even thirds or fourth's, this is where you can make a genuine difference."
Job description
Job responsibilities
As an STR Worker, you will:
- Support individuals in custody, magistrates' court, and community access services.
- Facilitate engagement and recovery by using your professional and life experience.
- Promote effective communication with service users, families, carers, and partner agencies.
- Manage your own caseload, prioritising referrals and ensuring timely assessments.
- Contribute to safeguarding processes and uphold equality, diversity, and inclusion.
- Participate in data collection and service evaluation to meet local and national requirements.
- Work flexibly across the region, with occasional travel and lone working.
- Uphold Trust policies on confidentiality, health and safety, and infection control.
A Day in the Life of an STR Worker -- Liaison & Diversion Service
"My role exists at the busy junction of the criminal justice system and healthcare. As an STR worker in the Liaison and Diversion Service (LADS), I meet people in custody following an arrest. Whether it's someone's first time in a cell or their fiftieth, my job is to ensure they are treated as a person first.
The day starts in our office inside the custody suite. Between the noise of the booking in area and the closing of cell doors, I work closely with custody sergeants and LADS practitioners to identify who needs our support. My morning is spent screening the cells and reviewing overnight referrals, looking for signs of substance misuse, learning disabilities, or mental health vulnerabilities.
Once we've identified those in need, we document them on our own board to prioritise the day. I support our practitioners when they are seeing individuals who are acutely unwell or at high risk of self-harm or suicide, I work independently with those requiring support for substance misuse or practical recovery. This collaborative approach ensures the high-risk clinical presentations are managed by practitioners with my support, while I can focus on building a rapport with others to address their specific needs.
A large part of my role involves "proactive" visits: seeing people in their cells who may not have been referred but show signs of vulnerability. It's important to build a rapport and assessing what support they need to help reduce reoffending and get that person support they may have not known of. This often involves brief interventions, such as helping them understand the legal process, and carrying out referrals to drug and alcohol services, veterans' support, women's only charities or community mental health teams.
The goal is simple but ambitious: to make sure that the moment a person leaves custody, there is a path or a service waiting for them. Whether they access that support independently or via a direct referral, we aim to either signpost or complete referrals
There is also a big relational aspect to my work within the community. Here, we support people who have had contact with the justice system but need help navigating the practical barriers that often lead to reoffending, things like GP registration, housing, finance, or employment.
In the community, you see the long term impact. I might be following up on a referral a practitioner has made in custody the previous day, helping a client engage with mental health teams they've previously struggled to reach. I often work alongside clinicians during formal assessments or attend multi-agency meetings with probation and social care, my focus remains on the relational side of recovery, enabling engagement for those who have historically felt excluded from support.
What I love most about this role is the privilege of treating people with dignity at a time when they often expect none. An arrest is for most people a chaotic moment; being a calm, supportive presence in that space is incredibly rewarding.
No two days are ever the same. The pace can be fast and at times also equally reduced so it takes a person who works well under pressure but also someone who can be proactive when its less busy, but the engagement, working alongside practitioners to change someone's direction, is what makes this a meaningful job. If you care about people and believe in second chances and even thirds or fourth's, this is where you can make a genuine difference."
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ 3 Promoting Independence or Health based equivalent, or willing to undertake full training to achieve this standard.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with people e.g. in a caring situation, dealing with the general public.
- Experience of working in community settings.
- Previous experience of caring for people who have experienced trauma and vulnerabilities.
Desirable
- Experience of working within criminal justice services (Police, Probation, Courts, etc).
Additional Criteria
Essential
- A full current driving licence with access to own private transport and willing to travel
- Knowledge and understanding of a wide range of mental health conditions and awareness of vulnerabilities impacting on offending behaviours.
- Knowledge of how to deal sensitively with distress, disturbance and unpredictability.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ 3 Promoting Independence or Health based equivalent, or willing to undertake full training to achieve this standard.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working with people e.g. in a caring situation, dealing with the general public.
- Experience of working in community settings.
- Previous experience of caring for people who have experienced trauma and vulnerabilities.
Desirable
- Experience of working within criminal justice services (Police, Probation, Courts, etc).
Additional Criteria
Essential
- A full current driving licence with access to own private transport and willing to travel
- Knowledge and understanding of a wide range of mental health conditions and awareness of vulnerabilities impacting on offending behaviours.
- Knowledge of how to deal sensitively with distress, disturbance and unpredictability.
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.
