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Overview of the job
The Reducing Reoffending Accelerators (RRA) Project seeks to trial a number of policy initiatives and prison-based roles focused on supporting efforts to reduce reoffending.
We know that people in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS) have multiple and complex health and support needs and experience significant health inequalities as compared with the general population. This is particularly true for both substance misuse and mental health needs.
Supporting people to access appropriate support and treatment in the prison setting is incredibly important, but so is maintaining this care once someone is released, known as ‘continuity of care.’ Although people released from prison into the community have the right to access local health services, they often have problems accessing these services for numerous reasons. As a result, these individuals face significant challenges addressing their vulnerabilities through main stream services during their resettlement period and beyond. For example, in England, in 2018- 2019, only 34% of people with substance misuse treatment needs successfully engaged in community-based treatment within 21 days of release from prison.
Our vision is to help support people to access the right treatment and support, at the right time, particularly when transitioning back into the community. We know that this will not only improve an individual’s health and wellbeing, but it will also reduce their likelihood reoffending, as well as improving their ability to maintain stable accommodation, family connections and even employment.
The role will be community based with the expectation that post holders will travel as and when required, including regular visits into selected prisons.
A webinar will be held on Thursday 29th April at 14:00 for further information about the project and the role - https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MDAzZDUzMjUtZGRmYi00NjAzLWFjN2UtYmYwNmFhNGViM2My%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22c6874728-71e6-41fe-a9e1-2e8c36776ad8%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22d2041852-5d45-43fe-bec1-1820304a7b9b%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d&btype=a&role=a
This post ends 31st March 2022 and is available on loan, secondment or fixed-term contract
Summary
The role will be divided into two distinct, but interlinked set of responsibilities.
Firstly, this role is about testing new and innovative approaches to partnership working to improve the continuity of care for people leaving the prison estate. As a Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator, you will be responsible for strategic leadership for improving health pathways from the custodial to the community setting level. (i.e. developing effective relationships with relevant partners and commissioners, supporting Regional probation directors understand/influence the system)
The second part of the role will be focused on operational delivery. You will work in tandem with relevant local partners and HMPPS operational policy leads to develop practice as this relates to health-related release planning, designing and consulting on process to enable information sharing, the use of health-related licence conditions and understanding of health resettlement pathways. (i.e. design and implement plans to improved usage of health-related licence conditions, delivery briefings on relevant probation staff on health resettlement pathways briefings etc.)
We are keen that you design and ‘test’ innovative operational and strategic approaches to achieve our aims to inform wider, national plans in this space.
The role does not require you to be based within the prison full-time, but some travel will be required to HMP Durham.
Responsibilities, Activities and Duties
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:
- Developing effective relationships with relevant partners, stakeholders and commissioners in the prison and community setting and work with them to improve cross agency understanding on roles and responsibilities.
- Building an understanding of a health and justice pathway from the custody to community setting
- Developing a detailed understanding of, and mapping, the key barriers and opportunities to success in order to inform longer-term national approaches.
- Where the services exist, provide direct support to NHSE/I Reconnect services to improve better service integration with probation.
- Providing direct support to Probation Regional Directors and Local Delivery Unit Heads to assist with navigation and relationship building with the local /regional health landscape.
- Designing and implementing plans to improve the usage of health-related licence conditions.
- Designing and leading briefings to relevant probation and prison staff on health resettlement pathways.
Responsible for building in a legacy of good practice from this role e.g. detailed processes/tools for partners and probation provider staff to use to facilitate the sharing of appropriate information and products to inform operational policy/health and partners leads/staff.
The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.
Desired Experience
- Worked with prisoners or those engaged in the criminal justice system
- Has experience of setting goals and achieving targets.
Desired Technical Skills
- Knowledge of health pathways for those leaving prison, particularly for substance misuse and mental health, including the key partners involved.
- Sound understanding of probation processes, including release planning.
Behaviours
- Changing and Improving
- Working Together
- Leadership
Experience
- Experience of working across health and justice pathways.
Minimum Eligibility
- All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post.
- All external candidates are subject to 6 months’ probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS.
All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which HMPPS consider to be racist.
If successful candidates will need to complete vetting at enhanced level. You will need to demonstrate/ provide evidence of:
Confirmation of right to work
Confirmation of ID and address
Eligibility
Criminal conviction
Employment history
Countersignature (where relevant)
Health check (where relevant)
Criminal record history of spent and unspent offenses
Information held by local police force.
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