We are recruiting for a Trainee Health & Wellbeing Practitioner at HMP Highdown.
Here at Forward Trust, we deliver a complex range of drug and alcohol services in the unique prison environment. Our support includes providing advice, health and wellbeing, motivational work, clinical services, and a wider range of group work and treatment programmes.
The Forward Trust services which are delivered within prison settings are commissioned by NHS England and are delivered in partnership with primary healthcare providers and HMPPS. Integration and partnership are integral to the work we do.
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.”
Roles Responsibilities
As a Forward trust trainee you will be employed on a fixed 12-month contract. The aim of the traineeship is to provide training and development that facilitates onward employment. Forward Trust aims where possible to recruit and maximise those with lived experience into these roles. During the traineeship you will be supported and given the opportunity to develop the skills and experience to apply for and move into permanent jobs at the end of the 12-month Traineeship. All Trainees will work with a specific mentor on a bespoke training programme that may include specific qualifications funded by The Forward Trust alongside a comprehensive package of support and supervision.
As part of the traineeship, you will be shadowing a member of the team and will be given guidance and support working through the various aspects of the role in the business unit you have been assigned to. The team member you will be shadowing will help ensure you are receiving the training and development needed to become competent in the role. You will receive regular reviews to ensure that you stay on track to successfully complete the traineeship and undertake the compulsory external supervision as part of the traineeship. Part of your time on the traineeship will be spent working, gaining the practical experience and part studying towards achieving the qualification that has been assigned (subject to criteria).
The Forward Trust provide both clinical and psychosocial Substance Misuse Services across Surrey Prisons in partnership with NHS Trust healthcare providers. Each service operates a Health and Wellbeing framework taking a trauma informed and gender responsive approach to delivery of a wide variety of interventions and integrated pathways tailored to meet specific needs of each prison and individual service users. With pro-active partnership working a key aspect in the delivery of these services multi-disciplinary working across mental health, healthcare services and the prison is essential.
You will be based on site working within a team that have a broad skills mix to deliver combined psychosocial and clinical interventions providing recovery-orientated Health and Wellbeing Services to service users aged 18 and over at: HMP Highdown a male category C prison located in Sutton.
This will involve working directly with those who are detained in the prison who may present low-level mental health needs and/or substance misuse issues. The service operates 7 days a week therefore weekend working will be a requirement on a rota basis.
Please note this is a 12 month fixed term contract.
All prison-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 be aware our prison based roles are not subject to any form of visa sponsorship. We kindly ask that candidates declare any current visa arrangements at application stage.
The Ideal Candidate
Please see below a list of skills and experience needed for this role.
- An understanding of the needs of vulnerable adults in recovery with experience of previous offending or homelessness.
- Understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of equal opportunity and client confidentiality.
- Able to manage own workload effectively to deadlines and targets
- An ability to set and maintain professional boundaries.
- Good organisational and communication skills.