At Catch22, we are proud of our reputation as a modern and progressive employer. Our 1,300 colleagues and 300 volunteers work at every stage of the social welfare cycle, supporting over 60,000 individuals from cradle to career. Our work spans education, social justice and rehabilitation, children's social care, family support, social action and getting people into work. 

In Social Justice, we work with young people and adults in custody and in the community, providing a range of services including offender management and resettlement, mentoring, veterans in custody, victim services, gangs work and youth justice. We believe that with effective support mechanisms and the correct interventions, we can change service user’s ideology, helping them desist from crime and reach their true potential.

The London Gang Exit (LGE) Service is delivered in partnership between Safer London and Catch22. There is an exciting opportunity to join the delivery team as a Prison Link Worker.

LGE is a bespoke service for gang affected young people, both those who are involved in and those impacted by gang activity and who have the motivation to make a change. LGE has a focus on those aged 16-24 and our aim is to achieve positive change for young people through advocacy, specialist support and practical tools.

Join the Catch22 team as a Prison Link Worker and you will be responsible for contributing to the effective delivery of the Secure Estate pathway within the London Gang Exit Service. 

Main duties include: 

• Providing a range of appropriate interventions for those at risk of gang involvement or influence.
• Be a named Case Worker for service users and motivate and encourage diversion for those on the periphery of gang activities through to exit programmes.
• Maintain a good level of knowledge and understanding of gang activity within the London area.
• Contribute to information which is shared for intelligence, reduction in violence and to support prisoners to lead a gang free life.

As a Prison Link Worker you will have experience and knowledge of London prison estates and the processes and procedures within the prison environment.

The offenders/ex-offenders supported through this project will often be vulnerable and challenging and Prison Link Workers will need to be resilient, skilled and flexible to ensure the delivery of a high-quality service.

As a Prison Link Worker you will need:

Qualifications

• Educated to GCSE Standard as a minimum

Experience

• Experience of working with vulnerable individuals who may have mental health issues/substance misuse/challenging chaotic behaviours.
• Experience of working with the offender client group/or transferable skills group.
• To be resilient, skilled and flexible to ensure that we deliver a high quality service.
• Excellent understanding of the gang culture and social needs of vulnerable individuals.
• Experience of safeguarding young people
• Experience of working with a high-risk client group presenting violent or challenging behaviour
• Experience of planning, leading, delivering and evaluating activities and interventions for prisoners
• A track record of developing and maintaining partnerships and relationships with a wide range of stakeholders to support the needs of vulnerable young people

Knowledge

• Knowledge and awareness of the local context of London and the areas in the city involved in gang activity.
• A good understanding of agencies working within the following sectors; criminal justice, secure estate, social care, housing, health, ETE, CSE/VAWG and voluntary sector and the relevant referral processes
• Knowledge of relevant legislation and policy relating to gangs and serious violence

Skills

• Problem solving techniques and decision making practice
• Ability to organise own work routines, whilst managing staff effectively and to work on own initiative to an agreed action plan
• Ability to assess information quickly and  make sound judgments
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential issues with tact and diplomacy, whilst maintaining boundaries
• Ability to generate trust and credibility when working in a team and be reliable, approachable and discreet

Salary: £26,056 (incl. London Weighting) 

Fixed term contract (March 2020)

This role requires an enhanced DBS check and a willingness and ability to work in prisons 

This post will require a significant degree of flexibility in working hours.

Please apply for this role by Tuesday 15th January