Prison Advocate

Advance; Peterborough; On-site; CAD 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A women's support organization in Ontario is seeking a Prison Advocate to provide emotional and practical support for women in custody. The role involves developing tailored support plans, managing caseloads, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams. Candidates should have a strong understanding of the criminal justice system and excellent communication skills. This full-time position offers a 35-hour work week along with significant employee benefits.

Benefits

30 days of paid holiday

Pension scheme

Enhanced maternity provision

Employee Assistance Programme

Career development pathways

Qualifications

• Experience working with women in challenging environments.
• Ability to complete trauma-informed support plans with clients.
• Skills in maintaining accurate records and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Support women in custody with pre-release needs.
• Develop referral pathways with the Offender Management team.
• Co-design individual support and action plans.

Skills

Organisational skills

Communication skills

Casework management

Trauma-informed practice

Education

Knowledge of criminal justice system

Job description

Overview

Role: Prison Advocate at Advance. Location: HMP Peterborough. Hours: 35 hours per week. Contract: Fixed Term – until 31 March 2027. Salary: £27,000 - £29,000 per year.

This post is open to female applicants only as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010. Advance is a women-only organisation that provides emotional and practical support to women and girls survivors of domestic abuse and supports women with short-term sentences to reduce offending.

About the role

• The Prison Advocate will support women on remand and those unsentenced within the prison setting, providing pre-release support; focused on Accommodation, Finance, debt & benefits, Family & significant others and Social inclusion.
• Develop a referral pathway with the Offender Management team within the prison for women to access the service, and work in partnership with existing service providers operating within the prison.
• Co-design a person-centred support and action plan with women accessing support, enabling them to address their needs and any risks related to the identified interventions, including providing through-the-gate support.
• Combine a casework-based approach with a signposting and advice service for women in custody.
• Demonstrate experience and understanding of working with women in a challenging multi-agency environment, ideally with prisoners and / or their families.
• Build strong relationships with Pre-Release teams to ensure clients can maintain or access suitable accommodation, finance, benefits and debt, family and social inclusion support, including negotiating terms on behalf of the women.
• Ensure interventions are responsive to and meet the needs of women from diverse and minoritised backgrounds; coordinate referrals to wider partner organisations to address post-release needs and continuity of support.
• A car may be desirable but is not essential.

Responsibilities and requirements

• Knowledge and experience of the criminal justice system through study or work in the criminal justice system or related social systems.
• Casework and trauma-informed practice delivering gender-specific and trauma-responsive interventions to support resettlement and rehabilitation of female adults in the criminal justice system.
• Skills include excellent organisational and communication skills and the ability to work in a prison environment while staying calm.
• Caseload management including maintaining records, focusing on action plan goals, and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to complete trauma-informed support and action plans in collaboration with the woman to address multiple needs and achieve outcomes.

How to apply

Please apply with a copy of your CV and a cover letter through our website. The closing date for applications is 21 September, but interviews will be conducted on a rolling basis.

What we can offer you – Employee Benefits

• 35-hour working week
• An exceptional 30 days of paid holiday per year (pro rata for part time), PLUS public holidays on top
• Additional days off for International Women’s Day, religious observance and moving home
• Pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity / adoption provision
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee eye-care scheme
• Clinical supervision for frontline staff and first-line management roles
• Refer a Friend Scheme – £250 for each referral who passes probation
• Organisation-wide away days
• One-week paid carers’ leave
• Career development pathways

Safeguarding Advance is committed to safeguarding, with pre-employment checks including references, right to work, and enhanced DBS checks where applicable. Staff undertake safeguarding training relevant to their role.

Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities We are committed to equality of opportunity and actively seek to recruit people from groups underrepresented in our current team.

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