Health and Well-Being Practitioner - HMP Downview

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, the social enterprise that empowers people to break the cycle 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.

We believe and are committed to providing opportunities to all people including those with ‘Lived Experience’ we encourage applications from all background including those in recovery from addiction, co-dependency or gambling, have experience of previous offending or homelessness.

You will be working within an integrated healthcare framework to provide support to prisoners aged 18 and over. The team have a broad skills mix to deliver combined psychosocial and clinical interventions promoting holistic recovery and health and wellbeing to prisoners. This might include working with low-level mental health needs and/or substance misuse issues.

Day to day you will be responsible for managing a caseload, providing appropriate harm reduction advice and guidance, assessments, and care plans; You will deliver structured 1:1 and group-work sessions for both Substance Misuse and Low Level Mental Health service users and provide transitional support from prison to the community to prepare service users for release. 

• Carry out assessments risk/initial/comprehensive assessments to inform treatment journeys 
• Carry out interventions relevant to individual client needs, including 1:1 sessions and group work/programme facilitation
• Facilitate substance misuse and mental health groups, and Wellbeing and Recovery programmes to the standard required
• • Support service users by developing appropriate release plans with them •
• Support clinical services by carrying out second signatory duties

You will have experience of working within mental health or substance misuse services, and delivering structured interventions. 

• Experience of using CBT and motivational counselling skills
• Understanding of the Recovery Agenda
• Experience of providing counselling services to prisoners, or those with Health and Wellbeing, or drug and/or alcohol problems
• Use of motivational interviewing techniques in both 1:1 and group settings
• Knowledge of the issues facing substance misusers and low level mental health service users

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

• Season Ticket Loan Scheme.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• Access to Blue Light Card
• 3 x wellbeing days in addition to annual leave allowance
• Simply Health scheme
• Therapy allowance (£90 per month for frontline staff)
• 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays.
• Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 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).

Health and Wellbeing Practitioner - Job Description (Downview)