POLICE have joined forces with the NHS to provide a service to offenders and victims.
The Liaison and Diversion team work with young people and adults within the criminal justice system to identify vulnerability.
The teams are co-located within police and court settings to enable screening and assessment of those identified as being vulnerable.
By using this approach, decisions for offenders and victims will be more informed and there are hopes to see improvements to health and social care outcomes as well as reducing reoffending.
The team will also have a dedicated, local authority funded, Mental Health Associate Practitioner (MHAP) that works within the Safer Neighbourhood Service teams to provide support to victims and suspects of crime.
Team Manager, Emma Robinson said: “The NHS England funded Liaison and Diversion services in conjunction with the Safer Neighbourhood Service provides excellent partnership working opportunities which allow us to engage with local residents who require support from a range of different services."
