Job summary
RECONNECT is a new care after custody service that seeks to improve the continuity of care of people leaving prison with an identified health need.This involves working with them before they leave to support their transition to community-based services, thereby safeguarding health gains made whilst in prison.
RECONNECT services aim to improve the wellbeing of people leaving prison, reduce inequalities and address health-related drivers of offending behaviours. Whilst not a clinical service, RECONNECT offers liaison, advocacy, signposting, and support to facilitate engagement with community-based health and support services.
RECONNECT services also aims to:
- Increase access to and uptake up of healthcare or relevant support services for individuals who have identified health needs upon release from prison or IRCs who would otherwise struggle to engage.
- Ensure that the health needs of individuals who are leaving prison are met.
- Ensure a safe transition from prison to community-based healthcare and support services in England.
Provide follow-up to ensure engagement is maintained
Main duties of the job
Working as part of the RECONNECT and/or Enhanced RECONNECT team, the role involves supporting those who are preparing to leave/have left secure and detained environments. This will include supporting individuals to navigate (on release from the criminal justice system and immigration removal centres) accessing support for a range of identified health needs, including substance misuse (alcohol and drugs), mental and physical health, homelessness, learning disabilities, exploitation, safeguarding and social care issues. There may be some challenges around communicating and engaging with those in secure environments, and so the postholder will require tenacity and sound negotiation skills, with an ability to work with different areas of the criminal justice system. The role requires a sense of empathy and compassion, as it provides emotional, and where appropriate, practical support to individuals. This will include working with Practitioners to plan programmes/pathways of support for individuals, working with their families and friends, and supporting them to access other agencies
About us
About the Trust:
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and learning disability care for children, young people and adults across Sussex.
Working in Sussex:
Travel easily between coast and countryside, with a blend of picturesque villages and seaside towns there's always new experiences to be enjoyed
Embrace the city life with great access to visit Brighton and London
With easy access to Gatwick and Heathrow and excellent railway links across the UK there is plenty of opportunity for adventure
We'd love you to join our organisation that is rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for caring by the Care Quality Commission. Our staff agree, with 82% of people in our recent staff survey telling us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority.
Other key staff survey results include:
70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point for satisfaction at work
79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team
77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles
Job description
Job responsibilities
It is essential that you can demonstrate previous experience of working with people with identified health needs e.g., learning disabilities, substance misuse, mental health conditions and significant experience of working in a health, social
care, or justice setting.
An NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in a subject relevant to the service area is desirable.
The service operates from 0800hrs to 1600hrs Monday to Friday.
The key responsibilities of a Reconnect Engagement worker are;
- Processing and prepare referrals received by the Service for triage.
- Participate in Triage meetings by presenting new referrals to the Reconnect team
- Participate in triage discussion and decision making in relation to appropriate actions are discussed.
- Contribute to the formulation and implementation of support plans.
- Communicate outcomes and plans with referring agency.
- Completing screening assessments using agreed tools to identify individual needs.
Undertaking skilled and proactive engagement with clients to engage with community services, including advocating for the client when there are systemic or societal barriers to engagement
- Assertively re-engage clients who have, or at risk of disengagement.
- Identifying new needs and risks and feed this back to the team for discussion and onward planning.
- Developing and maintaining local knowledge of a wide range of health, social care and third sector providers locally; maintaining contact with and referral links into such services and assisting with the wider team in establishing and updating best-practice pathways for each identifiable need.
- Making onward referrals, and developing community support plans with service users to bridge them in to a range of health, wellbeing, and social care services on release
- Undertaking skilled engagement and community-based support work for up to 6 months post release, with a range of service users who may display complex vulnerabilities.
- Working independently without direct supervision for periods of time (including recognising and escalating issues promptly as necessary)
Job description
Job responsibilities
It is essential that you can demonstrate previous experience of working with people with identified health needs e.g., learning disabilities, substance misuse, mental health conditions and significant experience of working in a health, social
care, or justice setting.
An NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in a subject relevant to the service area is desirable.
The service operates from 0800hrs to 1600hrs Monday to Friday.
The key responsibilities of a Reconnect Engagement worker are;
- Processing and prepare referrals received by the Service for triage.
- Participate in Triage meetings by presenting new referrals to the Reconnect team
- Participate in triage discussion and decision making in relation to appropriate actions are discussed.
- Contribute to the formulation and implementation of support plans.
- Communicate outcomes and plans with referring agency.
- Completing screening assessments using agreed tools to identify individual needs.
Undertaking skilled and proactive engagement with clients to engage with community services, including advocating for the client when there are systemic or societal barriers to engagement
- Assertively re-engage clients who have, or at risk of disengagement.
- Identifying new needs and risks and feed this back to the team for discussion and onward planning.
- Developing and maintaining local knowledge of a wide range of health, social care and third sector providers locally; maintaining contact with and referral links into such services and assisting with the wider team in establishing and updating best-practice pathways for each identifiable need.
- Making onward referrals, and developing community support plans with service users to bridge them in to a range of health, wellbeing, and social care services on release
- Undertaking skilled engagement and community-based support work for up to 6 months post release, with a range of service users who may display complex vulnerabilities.
- Working independently without direct supervision for periods of time (including recognising and escalating issues promptly as necessary)
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Evidence of commitment to continuous professional development (CPD) in health or social care
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Previous experience of working with people with identified health needs e.g., learning disabilities, substance misuse, mental health conditions
- Significant experience of working as part of a team
- Significant experience of being supervised, and using supervision to reflect on practice
Skills and abilities
Essential
- Ability to engage and communicate with people who may be in difficult situations in a sensitive and reassuring manner
- Ability to develop relationships with service users within safe professional boundaries
- Ability to communicate effectively, develop and maintain positive working relationships with NHS, police, and court colleagues, and with other community agencies.
- Ability to obtain information from service users, and provide information, advice and guidance, about their health status and needs
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Evidence of commitment to continuous professional development (CPD) in health or social care
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Previous experience of working with people with identified health needs e.g., learning disabilities, substance misuse, mental health conditions
- Significant experience of working as part of a team
- Significant experience of being supervised, and using supervision to reflect on practice
Skills and abilities
Essential
- Ability to engage and communicate with people who may be in difficult situations in a sensitive and reassuring manner
- Ability to develop relationships with service users within safe professional boundaries
- Ability to communicate effectively, develop and maintain positive working relationships with NHS, police, and court colleagues, and with other community agencies.
- Ability to obtain information from service users, and provide information, advice and guidance, about their health status and needs
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
