Needs, Engagement and Wellbeing Caseworker - YPU

Main Responsibilities

Needs, Engagement and Wellbeing Team Caseworker

G4S Care and Rehabilitation Services

HMP Parc, Bridgend, CF35 6AP

Salary:  £27,289.12 - £28,322.12 per annum (salary increase on successful completion of 6mth probation period)

Permanent, Full Time, 40 hours per week

Benefits:  Company Pension, free on-site parking, on-site canteen, ongoing training and development and access to High Street Shop discounts.

Within Care and Rehabilitation Services, the philosophy of our prisons is to rehabilitate offenders and equip them to re-integrate into mainstream society on release. We seek to normalise prison conditions as far as possible to reflect life in the outside community. Our aim is to create an environment in which staff and prisoners feel safe and causes of prison stress are minimised. Central to our philosophy is the relationship between staff and prisoners. Our training and operational practices emphasise the need to treat prisoners with dignity and respect and G4S staff build positive and supportive relationships with the prisoners in their care. HMP & YOI Parc accommodates 1038 convicted male adult prisoners and remand/ convicted young offenders and young people in a secure but modern environment.

We now have an opportunity for a Needs, Engagement and Wellbeing Team Caseworker to join our team at HMP Parc.

The successful person will assist in taking forward the wider agenda of motivation, engagement and behaviour management focussing on motivating young people and supporting lifestyle change whilst promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. We require a motivated self-starter to coordinate, engage, encourage and support individuals to take personal responsibility for their health, wellbeing and development, sustaining change into the community.  The job includes face-to-face work with the young people (15-18yrs old), prison staff, managers and prison departments and regimes, NHS services, Youth Offending Teams (YOT), community and voluntary sector agencies

Key Responsibilities:

Direct work with young people

• Maintain a proactive response to young people, continuously providing positive options for behaviour change throughout their time in custody.
• Use a combination of motivational work, relationship building and a broad range of behaviour, lifestyle and therapeutic skills to engage young people to address their identified behaviours.
• Motivate and support young people to address the broad range of needs that may contribute to the risk that they pose to themselves or others. Supporting them in addressing that risk e.g. Violence, Education, Housing, Substance Misuse etc.
• To ensure young people understand that the young person’s community at Parc will hold them accountable for their actions and any abusive behaviour towards others.
• Ensure that there is appropriate consistent delivery of services to young people, including support planning, education, employment & training and health.
• Develop strategies that will reduce the risk posed by young people.
• Undertake assessment of risk, needs and attitudes to inform the young person’s individual intervention plan
• Ensure that risk assessment and risk management procedures are followed at all times.
• Respect and value the diversity of the community of young people at Parc, providing a service that recognises the different needs of service users and their families.
• Ensuring the health, welfare and safety of young people is considered in every aspect of your work, address parenting needs where appropriate and taking action to safeguard children.
• Knowledge and understanding of risk management/risk assessment pertaining to offenders Experience in planning and coordinating work.
• Ability to communicate clearly verbally and in writing with offenders, professionals, and at hearings.

Inter-agency Work

• Work to embed the role into multi-agency responses to managing young people in the criminal justice system.
• Effective understanding and implementation of institutional advocacy by pro-socially challenging partner agencies, acknowledging best practice and striving for change to benefit the young person, the service and the sector.
• Support other professionals in responding to young people in a way that supports the desired outcomes for the young person.
• Working closely with other professionals to ensure that risk management and safeguarding duties are effectively met.
• Develop and maintain effective partnership working with statutory, private and voluntary agencies to address the identified issue and areas of risk/development for young people.
• Represent the service at operational multi-agency meetings, feeding back initiatives and outcomes to the team and contribute to the evaluation of the quality of activities these services offer.
• Provide a single point of proactive and regular contact for a range of professionals involved in the case of the young person.
• Liaise with Social Services to ensure the identified needs of looked after children are met and maintained
• Work in an integrated way across various sectors with both internal and external agencies

Case management

• Case Management of remand and sentenced young people in accordance with YJB National Standards
• Comply with child protection and information sharing policies, ensuring that young people and colleagues understand and comply with the service’s safeguarding framework.
• Manage a case load based on comprehensive risk assessment and individual support planning, contributing to planning, ACCT and behaviour management reviews/strategies and appropriate referrals to other agencies and MARACs.
• Support and motivate young people to take advantage of opportunities relating to the 7 pathways of resettlement.
• Use motivational and cognitive behavioural principles to implement basic problem solving strategies
• Attend supervision meetings with the Effective Practice Lead/Resettlement Manager.
• Take appropriate steps to safeguard where there is an imminent risk to the young person or another person.
• Ensure that AssetPlus case files and records are accurate and complete. That all files are kept and in compliance with Data Protection Act requirements. Including entering all the required information into AssetPlus electronic case management system. Maintain an accurate and secure audit trail of all relevant communication, complying with the data protection and information sharing protocols.
• Provide post release support to young people as dictated by the resettlement plan.

General

• Remain up-to-date and compliant with all relevant legislation connected to your work, including organisational procedures, policies and professional codes of conduct and practice guidance, in order to uphold standards of best practice. Representing the YPU at local events; deliver training and presentations as required.
• Feed into the learning process via the Manager to improve services to young people ensuring that the experiences of service users and other agencies inform this process.
• Be confident to evidence reflective practice in all aspects of work, sharing learning and committed to reviewing individual and team practice, undertaking regular training.
• Act with integrity and respect when interacting with young people, employees, agencies and individuals. Competent in defensible decision making, recording and being held accountable
• Show initiative in tackling issues within the service and in relation to other agencies.

Responsibilities specific to prison environment

• Be familiar with and comply with Prison Standards, Prison Orders, Circular Instructions, Notices to Staff, Prison Rules, Health & Safety, and any other relevant material, in order to function as an informed practitioner within a custodial setting.
• Be familiar with the Establishment Business Plan/Health Delivery Plan/Health Needs Assessment/Reducing Re-offending strategy and Drug Strategy.
• To assure adequate levels of security in line with security requirements as mandated by the Governor and Home Office instructions.

Communication and key working relationships

• The post holder must be able to demonstrate excellent and proven communication and interpersonal skills at all times, and build and maintain good working relationships with all stakeholders. Represent HMP Parc YPU at local and regional events.

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

HMP Parc is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.  All staff and volunteers are therefore expected to behave in such a way that supports this commitment.  You will be responsible for safeguarding the interests of children and adults who you come into contact during your work.  To fulfil these duties, you will be required to attend training and development to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse or individuals at risk, to follow local and national policy.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Skills

• NVQ or higher in a related psychology, health, recreation, or social care course 
• Demonstrable experience of working within the public health, criminal justice, health, wellbeing, sport and recreation, education,  or social care sectors with a clear understanding of the need for and ability to deliver quality services.
• A high level of adaptability and passion for delivering excellence.
• Ability to communicate effectively with stakeholders, staff, service users, families and professionals.
• Demonstrable knowledge of the Criminal Justice System.
• The ability to respond flexibly to the demands of the post.
• The ability to work as a member of a team.
• The ability to work alone and the ability to keep calm under pressure.
• The ability to understand and have a commitment to the principles of equality and diversity.

Desirable Skills

• A relevant professional qualification e.g., Behaviour Analysis, Sports and Recreation, Social Work, Health, Probation, Community Work, Management.
• Understand the principles of Health, Behaviour Change, and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
• Knowledge of local services and geography.
• Educated to degree level or can demonstrate sound and relevant academic/research based knowledge.
• Welsh Speaker

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

HMP Parc is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All staff and volunteers are therefore expected to behave in such a way that supports this commitment. You will be responsible for safeguarding the interests of children and adults who you come into contact during your work. To fulfil these duties, you will be required to attend training and development to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse or individuals at risk, to follow local and national policy.

Our aim is to create an environment in which staff and young people feel safe. Central to our philosophy is the relationship between staff and young people. Our training and operational practices emphasise the need to treat individuals with dignity and respect and G4S staff build positive and supportive relationships with the people in their care. We are seeking to recruit a caring, pro-active and confident professional to help make a real difference in young people’s lives.

Please note the assessment centres for this role will be held on 27th and 28th November 2023. Those candidates shortlisted to attend will be emailed the details prior to these dates.

If you join us, you will find a secure, friendly and professional working environment and be given all the support, training and encouragement you need to build and develop a successful career with us. Our benefits are as you would expect from a large organisation and include a company pension, training, career development, generous holiday entitlement, uniform and access to our on-site gym.

Please note that these vacancies are subject to a 10 year checkable history and the strict vetting standards set by G4S and the Secretary of State for the Home Office and are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.

You must be eligible to work in the UK and must have been resident in the UK for a minimum period of 5 years. You will also need to provide full details of your employment and education history for the last 10 years as part of the security screening process for this role.

HMP & YOI Parc is committed to a clean air policy for the wellbeing of its staff, and to protect them from the risks of passive smoking. Our prison is a smoke-free environment, and smoking is not permitted in any area of the establishment. The conveyance of smoking paraphernalia (including tobacco, cigarettes and e-cigarettes) into the prison will be considered a disciplinary offence under the company’s Disciplinary Policy.