Care Not Custody Caseworker

About this role:
Care Not Custody is an intervention service in partnership with Sussex Police and Probation, to divert women away from the criminal justice system, by offering case work support through an Out of Court disposal (OOCD) or intervention to prevent a breach of their probation order.

Care Not Custody encourages frontline Police Officers to consider an OOCD in cases where they would normally have charged a woman. Currently, women who receive a Conditional Caution or Community Resolution do not have access to a women specific service in Sussex. Women who agree to the condition will be referred to BWC by Sussex Police for casework support, diverting them away from the formal criminal justice system into a holistic support package.

Care Not Custody works closely with Probation Officers to identify women who are at risk or in breach of their community order or license agreement and offer interventions to encourage women to re-engage.  Care Not Custody staff attend Breach Court to meet with women who are listed in breach, staff work with the women to empower reengagement with their community orders.

The Care Not Custody Caseworker will provide holistic, integrated casework support for women in Sussex, supporting women to navigate and access the services they require to address a range of practical and emotional needs, including helping with signposting, advocacy, and referrals. They will be informed by BWC’s values, policies and procedures and will understand the importance of building trust and self-esteem with service users, to enhance recovery and engagement with BWC and other services while completing all reporting requirements on the BWC database.

Working hours:   This is a full time (35 hours per week) role, but we will consider flexible options depending on service delivery requirements.  Working hours are within normal office hours, 9am-5pm.  Occasional out of hours may be required.

Work location:     Care Not Custody Caseworkers are based Pan Sussex in Sussex Probation, Breach Court and surrounding areas, and in BWC locations in Sussex. Local travel will be expected to a multitude of venues with varying accessibility, requiring in-person attendance. Applicants can discuss accessibility requirements with the hiring manager.

Responsible to:   Care Not Custody, Senior Practitioner

Contract Type:      Fixed term until 31st December 2026, with additional funding being applied for.

To Apply:
For the full job description, person specification and more information on BWC please download the Job Application Pack from our website. To apply, please complete an application form and equalities monitoring form and return these to us before the deadline. We do not accept CVs.

BWC is committed to inclusion and diversity and actively encourage applications from women from a variety of backgrounds, and with a range of skills and experiences. We are particularly interested to hear from applicants who have personal experience of the criminal justice system, those from Black or Racially Minoritised Communities who are currently under-represented in the organisation as well as people with LGBTQ+ identities.