We are currently recruiting for a RECONNECT Team Leader, to cover the Cambridgeshire area, (hybrid working including HMP Whitemoor, HMP Peterborough (male & female) and HMP Woodhill, HMP Littlehey).
We are Forward, the social enterprise that empowers people to break the cycle of crime and addiction to move forward and live fulfilling lives.
RECONNECT is a care after custody service that seeks to improve the continuity of care of people leaving prison or an immigration removal centre (IRC) with an identified health need.
We operate a hybrid model of support where we work with individuals up to 12-weeks before their release and up to six months post-release in order to support the transition to community-based services, thereby safeguarding health gains made whilst in prison or an IRC.
Our East of England RECONNECT service is available for adults over the age of 18 with a designated healthcare need and who are due to be released from prison or an IRC in the next 12 weeks. We also accept referrals up to 28 days post release.
About the role:
You will be responsible for providing a comprehensive, inclusive and bespoke RECONNECT service, including advice and guidance to Forward Trust clients across HMP Whitemoor, HMP Peterborough (male & female) and HMP Woodhill, HMP Littlehey and community services in the local area. There may be occasions where you could be asked to assist with other establishments and regions, either remotely or in person.
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 needs.
The service will offer signposting, GP referrals, accompanying to appointments, meet and greet at the gate, aftercare support and a connection to the wider Forward community. Following a referral 12-weeks prior to release, the service is to identify our clients’ needs via a robust assessment and then working in partnership with many agencies to create a bespoke client centred care plan.
Key responsibilities:
As a RECONNECT worker you will be responsible for contributing to the targets set by Forward and the local commissioners to make this service a success. You will be client facing assessing and responding directly to the needs of the service user, whilst communicating with internal and external agencies to ensure an excellent quality service. You will actively seek Service User feedback both during and after their engagement to identify good practice and ways for the service can improve.
Some of the key responsibilities of the role are as follows:
- Implement a comprehensive, robust strategy in line with the RECONNECT contract.
- Build and maintain excellent partnerships with external agencies and key stakeholders.
- Recruit and develop a network of lived experience volunteers and peer support workers.
- Manage a team of workers in your area(s) including line management responsibilities such as supervision, quarterly line management reviews and team meetings.
- Implement and maintain clear referral pathways for our stakeholders including custodial partners, family members, and self-referrals.
- Lead your team by example in line with Forward Trust values and mission statement.
- Deliver a high quality and safe service by working closely with your Forward Trust peers and external stakeholders to share best practise, create robust risk assessments and safeguarding of clients.
- Ensure your teams are fully connected with local services in preparation for release of our clients into the community.
- Support the recruitment, training and retention of Forward Trust staff and volunteers.
- Collect and compile data for monthly submission, report on commissioner key performance indicators (KPIs) in line with the contract and any other information requests from your line manager.
- Support your line manager and be prepared to assist them in any duties they deem appropriate.
All prison-based roles will require enhanced DBS and HMPPS security vetting. Please note this process can take up to 8-12 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.
The ideal candidate will have:
- The ability to represent The Forward Trust in a positive and professional manner and be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders in a variety of formats, utilising strong IT skills to support project management with the flexibility to meet the needs of the service as it develops within required timeframes.
- A diploma in Health & Social Care or a relevant qualification in the field of mental health or substance misuse would also be desirable.
- Line management experience delivering supervision and leading a successful team is also desirable together with experience of facilitating groups, knowledge of motivational interviewing techniques and experience of working within the criminal justice sector would all be beneficial.
- Good organisational and planning skills and experience of databases are desirable for this role.