Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator

Ministry of Justice; Peterlee; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department is seeking a strategic lead on continuity of care pathways for ex-prisoners in Peterlee. This role focuses on enhancing treatment access, driving partnerships, and improving practice within the probation service. Ideal candidates will have experience working in criminal justice settings and excellent influencing skills. The position offers flexible working arrangements and extensive training opportunities.

Benefits

Annual leave: 25 days, increasing to 30 after five years

Local Government Pension Scheme

Extensive training opportunities

Flexible benefits and discounts

Hybrid working arrangements

Qualifications

• Experience working with prisoners or those in the criminal justice system.
• Proven record across stakeholder groups.
• Experience under pressure and meeting deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Develop effective relationships with key partners.
• Lead strategic discussions to improve health and justice pathways.
• Drive activity that improves probation and prison practice.

Skills

Influencing skills

Flexible teamwork

IT skills

Knowledge of health pathways

Change management

Job description

Overview

The job holder is the strategic lead on strengthening and developing continuity of care pathways so that those leaving prison can access treatment and support on release, as part of the organisation's aims to reduce and break the cycle of reoffending. This strategic role is within the Probation Service (PS) and is accountable to the Head of Community Integration. The position is regional, based in a community probation office, with regular travel and visits to selected prisons.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop effective relationships with key partners (prisoners, people on probation, prisons, treatment providers, community organisations and commissioners) to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation.
• Lead strategic discussions with partners and stakeholders to ensure a whole‑system approach to health and justice pathways from custody to community.
• Use performance data to drive activity that improves probation and prison practice and informs partnership working, with a focus on substance misuse and continuity of care pathways.
• Lead joint partnership working with health and substance misuse partners to design a more integrated health and justice partnership, enhancing service integration between probation, NHS England and Improvement’s Reconnect service where available.
• Identify good practice and innovation opportunities to improve substance misuse and health continuity of care pathways, driving these locally and sharing with national teams.
• Provide a key interface between national Offender Health teams within HMPPS and regional probation delivery, escalating local concerns and ensuring communication of agreed national activity.
• Increase understanding within Probation of good practice and health and substance misuse pathways to support continuity of care, acting as a specialist point of contact across the region.
• Drive partnership working with prison Drug Strategy Leads and PGD Leads, offering advice and support to manage the transition into the community and improve substance misuse continuity of care.

Experience & Qualifications

• Worked with prisoners or those engaged in the criminal justice system, with a proven record of good practice in varied settings.
• Experience working across stakeholder groups and other government departments.
• Excellent influencing skills, able to handle conflict and deliver objectives.
• Experience working under pressure and meeting demanding deadlines.
• Flexible teamwork to achieve performance targets.
• Experience delivering change across large organisations and multiple stakeholders.
• Evidence of evaluating practice and reporting on performance data.
• Demonstrable achievements in managing change and improving quality and efficiency.
• Well‑developed IT skills, including interpreting and applying performance reports.
• Proactive championing of diversity and inclusiveness internally and externally.
• Knowledge of health pathways for those leaving prison, particularly substance misuse and mental health, and the key partners involved.
• Sound understanding of probation processes, including release planning.

Benefits

• Annual leave: 25 days on appointment, increasing to 30 days after five years’ service, plus public holidays.
• Pension: Covered by the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) run through the Greater Manchester Pension Fund.
• Training: Extensive range of training and development opportunities.
• Employee networks: Access to networks for minority ethnic origin, disability, caring responsibilities, women, and LGBTQ+ employees.
• Family‑friendly policies: Flexible benefits, voluntary benefits, retail vouchers, discounts, and support for childcare.
• Paid parental leave: Paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.
• Hybrid working: Flexible working arrangements, balancing base location, MoJ sites, and home.

EEO Statement

As a Disability Confident employer, the MoJ is committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities. Adjustments are made throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace to support candidates with disabilities and long‑term conditions. All candidates are encouraged to request reasonable adjustments through the application form.

Legal and Recruitment Information

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to assuming the post. The Civil Service Code sets the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. This role is open to applicants in the UK only and the contract is full‑time (37 hours per week). Application to this role is through the MoJ website; interested candidates should avoid any external tracking or side‑link attempts.