Through The Gate Worker - HMP Highdown

Overview

Are you looking for a meaningful career that helps others break the cycle of addiction and live a positive life? The impact you will have in this role is far more reaching than the day to day contact with service users, the service we provide reverberates through families and society

Who we are?

We are The Forward Trust (formerly RAPt and Blue Sky), the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.

What you will be doing?

The Through the Gate worker co-ordinates transitional support (working both inside and outside of the prison setting) alongside the Health and Wellbeing practitioners based at HMP Highdown. In this role you will be expected to support service users prepare and transition back into the community after release for a period of up to 4 weeks ensuring effective continuity of care ‘Through the Gate’.

The Through the Gate worker will build a network of partnerships with various agencies to provide comprehensive and supportive meet and greet/pick up services escorting service users directly into either residential rehabilitation facilities, introduction to community based treatment, criminal justice or other “wrap-around” services. This will involve lone working and the use of public transport to assist service users to attend community based appointments.

Working alongside the team of Health and Wellbeing practitioners, the Through the Gate worker will manage referrals, complete assessments of service user need and risk in preparation for release into the community with an aim of supporting them through the first 24 hours following release, assertively linking them into treatment and support resources, and mutual aid e.g. AA/NA meetings.

A holistic release plan will be drawn up with the service user (in conjunction with prison based teams such as offender management and probation services) in order that all necessary referrals can be made prior to release and care pathways established for each individual service user. The role requires the delivery of interventions that promote and support various treatment pathways, involving both group facilitation and 1:1 working.

Please note a driving license and access to vehicle is essential to the role as you may be required to attend other services across the Surrey region (personal vehicle use will not be for the purposes of escorting service users). Reasonable travel expenses will be covered by the organisation.

What we are looking for?

• Develop links with local housing providers to minimise the number of service users released with no fixed abode.
• Liaise with medical services, where appropriate, to ensure service users have access to any necessary medical care upon release
• Provide advice and support to the Health and Wellbeing practitioners in their area in order to ensure the continuity of care for each service user who comes into contact with Forward service are met.
• Ensure groups and one to ones are facilitated and carried out to the standard required by Forward.
• Meet required KPIs corresponding to deadlines, as set up by your line manager set in your supervisions and appraisa
• Proactively approach integrated ways of working support and adopt a multi-disciplinary approach
• To ensure quality standards are maintained in the delivery of the service
• Record data on service users release and produce monthly reports for the Transitional Officers on a monthly basis

What we offer

Alongside Simply Health coverage, and a contributory pension scheme to assist employees with their general health and well-being. We offer:

• Training opportunities and career development
• Flexible working
• Season ticket loan scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Simply Health - Health Cashback Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (Pro Rata'd for Part Time Employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• Cycle to work scheme
• 25 Days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (rising to 30 days with length of service)
• Excellent contributory pension scheme. Employer matched contributions of up 6% in the first two years' service and up to 9% thereafter.
• Death in service payment (2x annual salary)
• Critical illness insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)

Person specification

Through The Gate Worker JD 2023