Liaison and Diversion Bulletin: May 2015

27 May 2015 10:12 AM

Update on the programme

This month we are updating readers on the progress of the Liaison and Diversion programme. The 10 wave 1 schemes have completed their first year of testing the new national service specification and the second wave of schemes have commenced operation – a major milestone for the programme.

The journey so far

Operating since April 2014, the 10 trial schemes have been the first to test the new standard service specification resulting in all schemes becoming  all age, 24/7 services with a developed and improved service user pathway of identification, assessment and referral. We have seen improved data and information sharing between agencies and have heard from justice and health teams on how they are working better together to provide improved support to their service users. Through the last 12 newsletters you have heard how the schemes are delivering the specification to their local population. Committing to deliver the specification, schemes are focusing and tailoring their service to local demand.

Wave 2 roll out

In December’s edition we announced the new 16 Liaison and Diversion schemes who will be joining the wave 1 schemes in trialling the new model. On 1 April 2015 these 16 schemes went live and half the population of England now have access to the trial schemes. The wave 2 schemes are busy mobilising and implementing the specification, learning from the wave 1 schemes and being provided with expert support from the Offender Health Collaborative field force team and the programme. Successes, challenges, advice and recommendations from the wave 1 schemes have been shared with the new 16 schemes to help them overcome challenges and implement successes.

What Liaison and Diversion service users say

Throughout the last 12 months, the programme has heard from a number of Liaison and Diversion service users who have been supported by the service. One service user said, ‘Without L&D – I wouldn’t have had the support that I needed. I would have been homeless and in prison again. With L&D support my life has stopped being purposeless and the team have given meaning to my life and to stop offending…’. Feedback like this reinforces the importance of producing a successful full business case to Treasury, which if approved, means the service will be rolled out to 100 percent of the English population by 2017.

Going forward

As well as producing the full business case, we are working with Health Education England to produce and develop a workforce plan, model and strategy to ensure we have the right workforce available nationally for 100 percent roll out. We are also reviewing the standard service specification with various stakeholders and partners. We have commissioned the Offender Health Collaborative and KPMG to work on improving the integration of Liaison and Diversion services. This will be done using a range of health and justice pathways and by defining a market development plan to improve the future commissioning of Liaison and Diversion services and provider market capability.

Future newsletters

Readers will now receive a newsletter every two months rather than monthly. The newsletter will provide a concise and comprehensive update regarding the roll out of the standard service specification and programme activity. We will focus on key themes from the standard service specification and share good practice from both wave 1 and 2 schemes.

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