Through The Gates Support Worker

Through The Gates Support Worker

£22,526 - £24,500 + excellent benefits

Fixed-term contract until November 2022

HMP Bristol

Are you proactive, compassionate and collaborative with a proven record of working effectively with socially excluded young people and adults and engaging with young offenders or other vulnerable groups?

If so, St Giles Trust is looking for a dynamic individual to join us as Through The Gates Support Worker, where you will provide a support and resettlement service to young adult males between the ages of 18 and 25 – offering hope and belief in change to those caught up in a cycle of risk and reoffending in the community linked to drugs supply.

About St Giles Trust

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others. 

St Giles is now a kickstart employer, so we are part of the scheme which provides job opportunities for 16-24-year-olds who are currently on Universal Credit and are at risk of long-term unemployment.

About this exciting opportunity

As Through the Gates Support Worker, you will be a key part of a wider team within the prison and your focus will be to support young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who are either sentenced or on remand for drug related offences such as “county lines” drug supply. You will offer vital support for adjusting to the custodial experience, and liaison with family support services and identify positive opportunities in prison, including education and employment.

You will also advise on sentence planning, where individuals are leaving the establishment, and forward contact with relevant departments within their destination prisons, plus offer advice regarding release and resettlement needs, and signposting to appropriate community providers. Following up in the community with Bristol-based service users and establishing excellent partnership working with key organisations, employers and partners are also key aspects of this role.

What we are looking for:

• Experience of providing support, advice and advocacy and the ability to assess a client’s needs
• Experience in negotiating with partner agencies to establish links to further the aims of the project
• Experience of engaging successfully with challenging people, for example people who have complex needs, people who are reluctant to discuss their needs, and people who are angry and confused
• A relevant qualification (e.g. Advice and Guidance) to at least Level 3, or willingness to work towards one
• Practical application of diversity awareness and unconscious bias in employment
• Knowledge of services for offenders and patterns of offending and drug dealing in Avon and Somerset
• Outstanding interpersonal, relationship-building and communication abilities, plus strong IT skills

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, season ticket loan and much more.

Please note St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.

Closing date: 11pm 31st October 2021

Interview date: 8th November 2021