ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

You will be responsible for providing a comprehensive, inclusive and bespoke RECONNECT service, including advice and guidance to Forward Trust clients across Suffolk. This includes 3 custodial establishments: HMP Hollesley Bay, HMP Warren Hill & HMP Highpoint.
The role involves hybrid working with some home working, visits to clients in the custodial establishments but also visits in the community to locations such as Probation Offices or NHS establishments.
RECONNECT enables service users to access and sustain supportive interventions upon release from prison, whether that be physical or mental health in addition to general well-being support. The service will offer mentor link in, signposting, GP referrals, aftercare support and a connection to the wider Forward community. Following a referral 12-weeks prior to release, the service is to identify the service User’s needs via a robust assessment and then working in partnership with many agencies. A bespoke care plan is created with the client at the centre.

SOME OF THE KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Process referrals and provide updates to referrer on assessment outcome
• Conduct in-depth needs assessment for all suitable referrals
• Maintain contact and support to Service Users as identified in assessment in preparation for and for 6 months post release.
• To support co-ordinator with the recruitment and training of prison peer supporters
• Maintain excellent partnerships with external agencies and key-stakeholders.
• Implement a clear referral pathway including Offender Management in Custody, Family / Self, Prison and Healthcare
• Ensure that a holistic service is delivered safely to our clients in line with individual and team targets.
• Working closely with your colleagues you will discuss and share best practice and fully engage with risk assessment processes to deliver a high quality service safely.
• To make referrals to Forward Trust Meet and Greet service
• Ensuring that service users are fully connected in with local services in preparation for release into the community.

ALL PROBATION-BASED ROLES WILL REQUIRE ENHANCED DBS AND HMPPS SECURITY VETTING. PLEASE NOTE THIS PROCESS CAN TAKE UP TO 3-6 WEEKS. ALL OFFERS ARE SUBJECT TO RECEIVING BOTH HMPPS VETTING AND DBS CLEARANCES.

Checks will require you to provide information on the below:

• Yourself (personal information, financial information, police information, criminal history)
• Your family (parents, parents’ partners, siblings, partner(s), children)
• Co-residents
• Associations that may cause a conflict of interest with your role or the prison service.
• Background checks across police information systems on you, your family and other associates
• Credit reference checks
• Social media and Open-Source checks (these are checks on content about you that’s publicly available on the internet to ensure there’s nothing linked to you that could undermine public trust and confidence in the prison service)
• Other government and overseas agency or police checks.

Please see below a list of skills and experience needed for this role.

• Good organisational and planning skills
• Flexibility to meet the needs of the service as it develops
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and in a variety of formats
• Ability to represent The Forward Trust in a positive and professional manner
• Experience of delivering structured interventions to service users
• Experience of facilitating groups
• Experience of working within mental health, emotional wellbeing, or substance misuse services
• Have a full, clean, UK drivers’ licence and access to their own vehicl