Family Support Worker

Prison Advice and Care Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free confidential advice & counselling

Cycle to work scheme

Life assurance

Eye care vouchers

Generous annual leave

Internal training & induction

Job summary

Prison Advice and Care Trust (PACT) seeks a Family Support Worker to assist families visiting loved ones at HMP Brixton. You will be based in the visitor centre and visits hall, offering advice, guidance and practical support to families during visits and family days.

The role emphasizes safeguarding knowledge, strong organisation, and the ability to work with multiple agencies to support families navigating the prison environment.

Qualifications

• Experience and understanding of working with families in a challenging environment, ideally involving offenders and/or their families.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage a demanding workload.
• Knowledge of safeguarding/child protection practice.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to build partnerships with a range of agencies.

Responsibilities

• Based primarily in the prison's visitor centre and visits hall, provide support, advice and guidance to families visiting prisoners.
• Facilitate prison visits and family days.
• Support the play service and family activities within visitor centre services.

Skills

Family support experience

Interpersonal skills

Organisational skills

Partnership building

Safeguarding knowledge

Job description

As a Family Support Worker at HMP Brixton, you will provide support to families visiting loved ones in the visitor centre, visitor centre services include; play and children’s services; and a catering service. You will work as one of the PACT Family team, you will be based primarily in the prison's visitor centre and visits hall providing support, advice and guidance to families visiting prisoners, facilitating prison visits and family days and supporting the play service.

A Family Support Worker provides support to families visiting loved ones in the visitor centre. Visitor centre services include play and children’s services; and a catering service.

About You:

To be successful in this role you will have experience and understanding of working with families in a challenging environment, ideally involving offenders and/or their families. You will also have excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage a demanding workload. You will have the ability to contribute to planning and development of Pact’s family work and also have knowledge of safeguarding/child protection practice. Furthermore you will have excellent interpersonal communication skills and ability to work in build partnerships with a range of agencies.

This role involves working set shift patterns based on the needs of prison visits, which include evenings and weekends. Shifts are fixed around the visits schedule and cannot be flexed around other commitments. Please make sure you can commit to these hours before applying, particularly if you hold other employment.

What Pact Offer:

Pact offer a wide range of employee benefits including free confidential advice and counselling service, cycle to work scheme, life assurance, eye care vouchers, generous annual leave plus more. You will have the opportunity to attend internal training events to further develop yourself as an effective support work and you will undergo a thorough induction process and be supported by a friendly and enthusiastic team.

Other information:

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all applications including those with a criminal conviction (appointment to post is subject to a risk assessment).

This post is subject to a 6-month probationary period, verification of identity and proven right to work in the UK, satisfactory references from previous employers covering a 3-year period, declaration of any unspent criminal convictions (and where appropriate a satisfactory risk assessment), Prison Vetting and an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. Please note that being bankrupt or having County Court Judgements may affect your ability to be successfully vetted to work in a prison.

We will also require a certificate of good conduct from the Police Force of the country of residence if you have resided overseas for a period of over 12 months (in the past 10 years while aged 18 or over).

£28,860 per annum full time earnings, £12,313.60 actual earnings.