I am a Registered Mental Health Nurse (B6) who is employed by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board as a Criminal Justice Liaison Practitioner. I work with individuals who are 16 years or older and who have come into contact with the Criminal Justice System.
Claire Dean
This could include police custody, magistrates court and probation services. We offer assessments to individuals who may be having difficulties, are asking for help and support and would like to be referred into wider services such as community mental health teams, substance misuse support or contacting their GP on their behalf.
Each day I could be in any one of the three North Wales custody suites or Magistrate courts ranging from Llay, Mold, Wrexham, St Asaph, Llandudno or Caernarfon. Our attendance at probation clinics also covers the whole of North Wales.
In addition, part of my role is to provide tactical advice to North Wales Police officers when dealing with anyone who may be displaying mental ill health and distress in the community and their safety may be a concern. As well as having access to NHS patient records, I have access to police databases and have access to live 999, 101 and webchat incidents whereby there may be an immediacy of risk and safeguarding concerns. My base for this work is at North Wales Police Divisional Headquarters in St Asaph, in the Joint Control Centre and sit alongside the Force Incident Managers (FIMs). The FIM is a Police Inspector who has initial responsibility for all jobs coming into the control room from across North Wales.
I also take the lead on the delivery of Mental Health Awareness to Front Line Police Officers and Crime Services. My role requires me to be security vetted by North Wales Police and may involvement dealing with multiple events for safety at the same time.
A key skill of our role is effective communication and team working across a number of different agencies. This could include police, probation, court staff, community mental health teams, GP surgeries and prison estates and secure services.
This is to ensure that the individual we are dealing with is treated with dignity and respect and has their needs met. The role is varied and no one two days are the same. The ability to manage your time, preserve confidentiality, think on your feet and continually assess dynamic risk, which can constantly change, is paramount.