We are currently recruiting for a Health & Wellbeing Practitioner to work within our integrated service delivered at HMP The Mount.
Within HMP The Mount, Forward Trust deliver an integrated service that includes a Psychosocial Substance Misuse service and a Talking Therapies service, both of which operate under a Heath & Wellbeing model.
The Psychosocial Substance Misuse service that this role sits within, aims to deliver treatment to a range of service users, including those that are at risk of substance use, those that are currently receiving clinical treatment and those that are scheduled for an up-and-coming release to the community.
Our treatment and support is based around provided meaningful advice and guidance, increasing motivation to make a change and working towards Recovery goals and objectives. Treatment delivery can be through one-to-one sessions, group/workshop attendance or via peer-to-peer interactions, many of which we coordinate and support.
Our service also supports HMP The Mount’s Incentivised Substance Free Living (ISFL) wing and the wider Drug Strategy of the prison.
We believe that everyone can live a fulfilling life, whatever their past. Our work in prisons aims to support those affected by drug or alcohol issues to create lasting change and reduce dependency, homelessness, unemployment, and re-offending.
Please note this is a part time role of 21 hours per week.
Roles & Responsibilities
The successful candidate will deliver client centred treatment using both harm reduction and abstinence-based treatment approaches depending on the requirements of the individual client. Working within an integrated healthcare framework to provide support to prisoners with substance misuse, low-level mental health and overall health and wellbeing issues. Day to day you will be responsible for managing a caseload, providing appropriate harm reduction advice and guidance, assessments, and care plans; you will deliver structured 1:1 and group-work sessions on both Substance Misuse and Low Level Mental Health topics and provide transitional support from prison to the community to prepare service users for release.
You will be contributing to the targets set by Forward and the local commissioners additionally the role requires you to make case note entries and record information accurately. You may be requested to write progress reports for clients aimed at a specific audience, good quality written work will be expected in this role.
Through care and integration with other services is vital to this role; such as Resettlement, Education and Employment, Gym, Healthcare, Probation, Fellowships and external Drug & Alcohol Support services.
All prison-based roles will require enhanced DBS and HMPPS security vetting. Please note this process can take up to 4-12 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
We are looking for individuals who are flexible, organised, hard working and have an interest in or experience of working in the criminal justice system.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience;
Essential
- Knowledge of the issues faced by those experiencing substance dependency/misuse and/or low-level mental health issues.
- Experience of working withing substance misuse and/or mental health services.
- Strong IT skills.
Desirable
- Experience of carrying out risk assessments, comprehensive assessments and the design and implementation of SMART care plans.
- Experience of delivering structured one-to-one interventions.
- Experience of facilitating group work.
- Experience of carrying out psychosocial interventions including using motivational interviewing techniques in both 1:1 and therapeutic group settings.
- Experience of using CBT and/or motivational counselling skills.
- Understanding of the Recovery Agenda and National Drug Strategy e.g. From Harm to Hope.
- Experience of working withing the criminal justice system or within a prison setting.
- Experience of working within a secure unit.
- A thorough knowledge of the 12-step treatment approach to addiction.
- Previous experience of working within a 12-step treatment programme.
- Personal experience / Lived experience of addiction / mental health / imprisonment (Addicts in recovery should have at least 3 years clean time. Ex-prisoners, should have been released at least 5 years ago).
Qualifications;
Essential
- A diploma in Health & Social Care, Psychology, Criminology or equivalent or relevant experience in a comparable role.
Desirable
- A degree in Health & Social Care, Psychology, Criminology or equivalent or relevant experience in a comparable role.