Appendix 5

JOB DESCRIPTION

LIAISON AND DIVERSION COORDINATOR

Grade: NJC Scale SO2– PO1 (£28,203 - £31,288)

Hours of work:37 hours per week

Responsible to:Liaison and Diversion Team Manager (Wakefield City Council)

Place of work:Elland Road Police Station, with travel throughout Leeds, Wakefield and beyond.

Employing bodyTouchstone Board of Trustees

This is a fixed term contract, initially until end March 2018.

Any job offer will be dependent on the outcome of police vetting at level 3, and reference checks.

BACKGROUND TO SERVICE

The Liaison and Diversion (L&D) Service works with people of all ages (including children and young people) with a wide range of vulnerabilities including poor mental health and learning disabilities, who have offended or are at risk of offending. We support service users who have contact with police stations,the courts,prisons and probation.

The Wakefield L&D Team is in the process of extending into Leeds, with the new team to be housed at Elland Road Police Station (LS11 8BU). The team is a multi-agency, multi skilled team, led and managed by Wakefield City Council Youth Offending Service. Touchstone is one of the partners in the service.

The aim is to work together to reduce the risk factors for reoffending by providing short-term support and signposting service users into longer-term support services.

L&D service in Leeds and Wakefield will operate 7 days per week from 07.00 to 22.00. Project Workers will be required to work shifts to ensure appropriate cover, this will include regular weekend and evening work.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

  • To be responsible for leading the initial mobilisation/development of Touchstone’s role in the expanding Liaison and Diversion service.
  • To lead the day-to-day delivery of Touchstone’s part in the Liaison and Diversion service.
  • To provide effective leadership and performance management of the Touchstone L&D team comprisingProject Workers, a Lead Practitioner, and a Volunteers and Peer Support Coordinator.
  • To ensure that Touchstone and the L&D service develops positive relationships with partners in other agencies, including courts, mental health trusts, Community Rehabilitation Company, National Probation Service, community and voluntary sector partners.
  • Working with vulnerable children, young people and adults who have contact with the criminal justice system. This involves working with people who use substances and people who self harm.

MOBILISATION

  1. To lead on the development and mobilisation of Touchstone’s part in the expanded L&D service, working collaboratively with the management team from Wakefield City Council and others. Ensure that the service is set up effectively and that Touchstone is able to deliver on all areas of the contract.
  1. To establish accessible referral pathways into the service.
  1. To assess risk for the service and ensure that appropriate measures are put in place to mitigate risks.
  1. To establish financial procedures to ensure that Touchstone’s part in the L&D service runs smoothly.
  1. To offer leadership alongside Wakefield City Council representatives, service users, statutory and other partners in a newly established Partnership Board and ensure that other structures are set up to provide strategic oversight of the service.
  1. To lead in the development of monitoring and evaluation tools in collaboration with management colleagues from partner organisations. This is to ensure that appropriate and accurate data and information is collected from the outset, in order that the impact of the project can be evaluated, and build the case for ongoing funding.

LEADERSHIP

  1. To contribute to the development of the Liaison and Diversion Pilot by working in partnership with other agencies to reduce health inequalities within a specific targeted group.
  1. To provide leadership and direction to the Liaison and Diversion teamstaff and volunteers to meet service and organisational outcomes.
  1. To fully involve service users in service development and delivery.
  1. To provide a culturally sensitive and accessible service.
  1. To ensure that Touchstone staff provide support to vulnerable children, adults and their families, including one to one support, support planning, liaison with local services and signposting.
  1. To contribute to community safety and crime reduction strategies by working in partnership with other criminal justice agencies to achieve a reduction in offending and re-offending by adults and young people.
  1. To represent and promote the service in the wider health, criminal justice and social care community.
  1. To effectively monitor the performance of the service, providing regular reports for Touchstone.
  1. To attend meetings according to the needs of the service e.g. Touchstone Project Managers meetings, Touchstone Management Team Meetings.
  1. To have day to day responsibility for managing agreed expenditure in line with the Touchstone Liaison and Diversion service budget.
  1. To ensure that effective support is given to Touchstone staff, volunteers and service users.
  1. To develop the service in line with service user needs.
  1. To work with the Liaison and Diversion Team Manager to provide regular feedback to referrers, commissioners, Touchstone Senior Management Team on activity and effectiveness of the L&D service.
  1. To ensure that staff maintain full, accurate and up to date confidential records.
  1. To ensure service operations comply with the relevant legislation and regulations.
  1. To liaise with relevant colleagues to ensure that ICT equipment and other resources are available and maintained to the necessary standards to support service delivery.
  1. To adapt and implement existing policies and procedures in line with the needs of the Liaison and Diversion service.

MANAGEMENT OF STAFF

  1. To ensure that staff cover is maintained according to safety and service requirements.
  1. Provide day to day leadership and management of the service, including supporting the staff and volunteers to meet the needs of the service users and service targets.
  1. To manage the staff rota and shifts for the service, in collaboration with the Liaison and Diversion Team Manager.
  1. To effectivelylead and manage the Touchstone L&Dteam e.g. leading the recruitment and induction of new staff, managing sick leave etc.
  1. To provide regular supervision and annual appraisal to all team members.
  1. To collate, analyse and respond to performance management data.
  1. To identify learning and development needs and facilitate training and staff development opportunities.
  1. To co-ordinate and undertake, training (mandatory and optional) to increase knowledge, skills and awareness in relation to the needs of the Touchstone and the L&D Service.

GENERAL

  1. To work closely with the L&D Team Manager (and Wakefield City Council), Board of Touchstone, Committees and Management Team in order to further the work of Touchstone and the Liaison and Diversion service.
  1. To seek out and capitalise on opportunities to develop and sustain this area of business in conjunction with the Business Development Team.
  1. To be supervised, appraised and trained in line with the organisation’s policies, procedures and practices.
  1. To be an active member of Touchstone’s Management Team and to undertake any work arising from it as appropriate.
  1. To undertake any other duties as directed by the Operations Director that may reasonably fall within the scope of the post.
  1. To provide information about Touchstone as a whole and in particular the Liaison and Diversion Service to, people/agencies interested in the organisation’s work.
  1. To implement Touchstone’s policies and practices and comply with the aims of Touchstone at all times. To be committed to the organisation’s Equal Opportunities Policy and to promote this with staff, Board of Touchstone, partners, service users and carers.
  1. To ensure information is dealt with in accordance with Touchstone’s policies around Confidentiality, Communications, Internet, Email and Telecommunications and steps are taken to ensure that confidential information is secure e.g. service user data.
  2. To be aware of and employ the general practices of Touchstone’s Safeguarding and Health and Safety policies and ensure these are adhered to at all times