Liaison and diversion category shortlist 2022

The Steer Clear Project, West Mercia Police

Young people involved in knife crime causes early criminalisation of young people and the likelihood of continuing offending. It was clear that young perpetrators of violence had poor role models, ACEs (adverse childhood experiences), troubled families, and peer pressure. A strong link to school exclusions was also identified. 

The Steer Clear Project was developed to reach out to the young person at the earliest opportunity possible, prior to any established offences being identified, and sought to safeguard, educate, and divert to more positive behaviour.  

In the first 18 months over 200 young people were referred and supported away from a criminal and violent life. The project has created a level of harm prevention for some of the area’s most vulnerable youngsters. The project has been rolled out locally, providing a complete prevention layer.  

Website: https://www.westmercia.police.uk  
Twitter: @WMerciaPolice   
Email: [email protected] 

Developing a Co-Production Network with West Yorkshire Liaison & Diversion

West Yorkshire Liaison & Diversion Service developed a service user involvement and co-production network to ensure the service user is at the core of what they do. The co-production network groups and volunteers with lived experience of the criminal justice system, help staff to overcome barriers to engage clients and have implemented a strategy behind this. West Yorkshire have made the adaptations to the NHS lived experience model and this has contributed to expanding co-production within the area. 

To fully embed service users into the fabric of West Yorkshire, the service has set up co-production network groups in which clients work with staff to shape how the service is delivered. The aims of these groups are to make service user involvement a key aspect of their liaison and diversion experience and to ensure that the service adopts a ‘doing with’ policy of co-production, rather than simply ‘doing to’ or ‘doing for’. 

Twitter: @LandD_WY
Website: https://wyliaisondiversion.org/  

Brighton Streets, The Trust for Developing Communities

Brighton Streets is an award-winning, innovative and effective programme of targeted detached youth work across the city of Brighton and Hove. The service proactively outreaches and liaises with young people, supporting them to make choices that reduce their involvement in risky or violent situations whilst supporting them to feel connected to their city and their place in it. It provides upstream contextual safeguarding for environments where street-socialising young people may otherwise come to harm. It also engages at-risk young people who are not engaged with any other service, holding their safeguarding and supporting their diversion away from the criminal justice system. 

This upstream, relationship-based, youth work approach empowers young people with knowledge, skills and behaviours that keep them safe using cognitive behavioural therapy and trauma-informed methodologies. In the last two years the project has delivered an average of 3,170 interventions over an average of 362 sessions per year.   

Brighton Streets is delivered by the Trust for Developing Communities, the Hangleton & Knoll Project and Tarner Community Project, and has been funded by Sussex Violence Reduction Partnership. 

Find an evaluation of Brighton Streets work here and watch a short film on the importance of detached youth work below. 

Website: www.trustdevcom.org.uk  
Twitter: @TrustDevCom 
Email: [email protected] 

Greater Manchester L&D, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust

The Criminal Justice Liaison & Diversion Team, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

A countywide service commissioned by NHS England to provide an all-age screening and assessment service to individuals involved in the criminal justice system. The aim is to support safe and fair criminal justice processes. Hertfordshire Partnership offer assessments to those presenting with a wide range of vulnerabilities which may include mental health, trauma, learning disability, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia and dyspraxia, a co-morbid presentation with alcohol and substance use. 

The work comes in a variety of forms: from advising police partners if any reasonable adjustments are required in the interview process, or advising diversion under Part 2 of the Mental Health Act, to writing reports for court consideration to advise on reasonable adjustments and special measures, and to advise if specialist reports are required with consideration to using Part 3 of the Mental Health Act.  

In line with national guidelines, they have developed a female offender pathway which recognises the negative impact of short custodial sentences and their contributions to inter-generational offending and work closely with partners in the local women’s centres.   

Website: www.hpft.nhs.uk 
Twitter: @HPFT_NHS
Facebook: HPFT.NHS

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