Half of England is now covered by a new service to ensure that people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities, or 'other vulnerabilities', are supported in police custody and the courts.
Sixteen new ‘Liaison and Diversion’ (L&D) teams are now operational, with 26 schemes overall nationwide. The ‘first wave’ of 10 schemes, which see specialist mental health workers work alongside police officers, were launched in April 2014. NHS England says the services helped 16,315 adult cases and 2,450 children and young people’s cases access specialist support when in contact with the criminal justice system in the first year.
Kate Davies OBE, head of Health & Justice, Armed Forces and Public Health at NHS England said: “When you are mentally unwell, for example, and have no support, custody can be a very lonely place. By putting additional support and mental health expertise alongside the police and court workforce, we have turned a corner in service provision for vulnerable individuals. By identifying someone brought into a police station or involved in court proceedings who may have a mental health problem or other vulnerabilities, L&D schemes can ensure an individual’s vulnerability is addressed and supported through the criminal justice system.”
People helped under the first 10 schemes have ‘shown significant improvements in behaviour, reducing their reoffending rates and keeping appointments to services’.
The results of what is initially a two-year trial will be independently evaluated to inform a business case for services to cover the whole of England by 2017/18.