Offender resettlement worker jobs

Barnardo's is seeking an empathetic and child led individual who can work within a dynamic and fast-paced environment using their strong organisation, communication and time management skills to support children in the secure estate.

This position (Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker – Project Worker 2) is based within Wetherby YOI, York Road, Wetherby LS22 5ED, which accommodates children aged between 15-18 years, who are in custody either sentenced or on remand. Barnardo's refers to Young Offender Institutions (YOI's) and Secure Training Centres (STC's) as the Secure Estate (please note, the location of some secure establishments may mean they are not easily accessed by public transport).

Barnardo's is commissioned by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to provide an Independent Children's Rights and Advocacy (ICRAS) Service to children accommodated in a secure setting. The service is known to children as Barnardo's: Your Rights, Your Voice, and currently works within five Young Offender Institutes, and one Secure Training Centre. The ICRAS service is child led and independent of the secure estate; our service is delivered within Feltham YOI to ensure children can freely access support for a range of issues linked to their needs, rights & experiences of custody, resettlement, and safeguarding.  As such this is a child-facing service, and at times involves lone working in the establishments, so we are seeking someone who can see the child, not the offence.

We hold ‘voice' at the heart of all we do, therefore we feel the role is best described by someone who is currently working in this service: “The role is a Children's Rights and Advocacy role, which means it is our job to empower the children we work with and help them to understand that what they think, what they feel and what they want really matters. We can speak on behalf of children to ensure their voice is heard and we also have the opportunity to help them to find the tools and confidence to raise their voices for themselves.  Advocacy and Children's Rights support is particularly crucial in the secure estate because children are away from home, family and champions, and also because children in secure estate are some of the most vulnerable children in society; they have often faced considerable adversity, disadvantage and discrimination prior to arriving into custody and they might not therefore be equipped with the skills needed to articulate their concerns. Through the work you do with a child from simply helping them make contact with friends or family on the outside, to helping them with concerns they may have for example; discrimination, resettlement or safeguarding. You may be the one person telling them they matter for the very first time.”

The position (Children's Rights and Advocacy Worker – Project Worker 2) is line managed by a Team Manager, reporting to an off-site senior manager. The post holder will need to be able to work autonomously, working to the requirements of the contract and the regime of the YOI. The secure estate is a highly structured environment; as a Barnardo's service we deliver independent advocacy and support for a range of issues, whilst still having to follow and adhere to this structure.

This role includes lone working in this challenging prison environment. It is therefore critical that the successful candidate in this respect is able to follow guidance and policy and is able to take a proactive and individual responsibility to understand and access the support mechanisms in place and encouraged by the service as required. 

When completing your application please refer to your skills, knowledge and experience in relation to the Additional Information, Person Specification and Job Description document. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described, including advocacy and safeguarding.  

This is an 'As and When' post, therefore hours will depend on service need and may differ week to week. We are seeking to recruit weekend working hours. 

There will be two stages of the interview process. 

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible

Community Employment Consultant

We are seeking a Community Employment Consultant to support people with convictions into employment by working with prisons, employers and community partners.

Position: Community Employment Consultant

Location: London, Hybrid

Salary: £30 - £35k per annum

Contract: Permanent, full time 37.5 hours per week

Closing Date: Thursday 2nd April

About the organisation:

This is an Employment Consultancy role with a difference; you will be working for a unique, award-winning organisation that helps people that have served a prison sentence to re-enter the workplace by:

• Training serving prisoners as Peer Recruiters, who then provide a Candidate pipeline and work closely alongside the Community Team.
• Take employers into prison to interview Candidates. Some job offers are made there and then.
• Provide caseworker support to Candidates in the community with the primary aim of removing their barriers to work and supporting them into meaningful, sustainable employment.

About the role:

As a Community Employment Consultant, you will support the senior team and work alongside the prison peer-led team, helping Peer Recruiters in custody to identify and support Candidates.

Key responsibilities include:

• Build strong relationships with the relevant prison staff.
• Support the Head of the Inside Job programme to engage employers and plan monthly interview days.
• Develop relationships with local and national employers and to promote the service and create employment opportunities for participants.
• Work with the team to develop and implement a strategy to identify and target local and national employers.
• Build relationships with local Probation offices and staff, DWP and Local Authority initiatives and Police & Crime Commissioner/Violence Reduction Unit and other relevant statutory and voluntary sector organisations.
• Maintain accurate and up to date records to monitor the effectiveness of the programme using our in-house portal (CRM system). Provide effective case management for participants, ensuring tailored and consistent support.

About you:

To be successful in the role of, you will need the following skills and experience:

• Be able and willing to work in Prisons and Youth Offender Institutions, this includes a vetting process which you will need to pass in order to be successful in the role.
• An empathetic and understanding approach when working with Candidates.
• A good understanding of the barriers faced by people with convictions in accessing employment.
• An interest in employment, The Local Labour Market and Industry trends.
• Ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels, including the ability to motivate and inspire others.
• Strong administration skills with IT (MS Office) and well organised.
• You will have strong writing skills and will be able to write good CV’s and Disclosure Letters.

Although not essential, experience of Recruitment or Case Management would be desirable.

In return:

As well as a great job with competitive pay and benefits, you will have the opportunity to be part of something that has potential to become ground-breaking.

The team comes from a diverse range of experiences and backgrounds. As well as employing serving prisoners within the team as Peer Recruiters, we also work with Community Consultants who have served a sentence. Where possible, the charity are keen to prioritise those with lived experience of the criminal justice system.

Recruitment Process:

Step one: If you are interested in the role, please send over a basic CV & one page cover letter. In the letter, please include details of why you think you are a fit for the role. You should also include details of why you are interested in working with the prison population.

Step two: An informal Q&A before putting more time into applying for the role. This will be an online, 15 minute meeting with one of the team.

Step Three: Formal interview. This is possible online or in person. You will be set a short task prior to the interview.

Step Four: As a final part of the process, you’ll be invited into the office for coffee with the team in London.

Other roles you may have experience of could include: Employment Advisor, Employment Consultant, Employability Advisor, Resettlement Worker, Case Worker, Job Coach, Recruitment Consultant, Prison Resettlement Advisor, Community Support Worker, Work and Skills Advisor.

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client – Not For Profit People. #INDNFP