Psychosocial Team Lead

Midlands Partnership University Nhs Foundation Trust; Harwell; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Inclusion is seeking a senior leader to head a psychosocial substance misuse service in a custodial setting. You will oversee DART services, IRP and related programmes, ensuring high-quality support as offenders progress through recovery.

The role includes supervising Recovery Workers, driving service improvements, and building partnerships with prison and healthcare partners to deliver coordinated care aligned with MPFT objectives.

Qualifications

• Professional Qualification (Degree & Post graduation or equivalent).
• Relevant experience in comparative setting inclusive of management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a needs-led, recovery-focused psychosocial substance misuse service within a custodial setting.
• Oversee the delivery of DART services, psychosocial programmes, and the Inclusion Recovery Programme (IRP).
• Provide supervision to Recovery Workers and manage appraisals, attendance, sickness, disciplinary matters.
• Develop partnerships with prison departments, healthcare teams and contract providers to ensure integrated care.

Skills

Substance misuse knowledge

Team leadership

Communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Professional qualification (Degree & Postgraduate or equivalent)

Tools

DART reporting systems

Job description

Job summary

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. If it is identified that you require sponsorship to undertake this role your application may be withdrawn. Lead and manage a needs-led, recovery-focused psychosocial substance misuse service within a custodial setting, providing low and high intensity drug and alcohol interventions. Oversee the delivery of DART services, psychosocial programmes, and the Inclusion Recovery Programme (IRP), ensuring high-quality support for service users throughout their recovery journey. Manage and supervise a multidisciplinary team, maintaining service standards in line with Inclusion and MPFT objectives. Develop effective partnerships with prison departments, healthcare teams, community agencies, and contract providers to ensure integrated care and continuity of support. Responsible for the assessment, recovery planning, case coordination, and delivery of psychosocial interventions to offenders with substance misuse needs. Facilitate pathways from prison entry through to release, promoting recovery, reducing reoffending, and improving health, wellbeing and social outcomes. Contribute to prison and wider substance misuse strategies while ensuring compliance with organisational policies, protocols, SOPs, and local operating procedures. Work collaboratively with prescribing and mental health teams to deliver a coordinated, recovery-orientated service that motivates individuals to achieve positive and sustainable outcomes.

Main duties of the job

To supervise and manage the delivery of a strengths-based, recovery-oriented and outcome-focused DART service, including the IRP programme, within the host prison. Oversee an integrated team delivering low and high intensity psychosocial interventions for individuals with drug and alcohol misuse issues. Provide effective supervision to Recovery Workers, including responsibility for appraisals, attendance, sickness absence, and disciplinary or grievance matters. Act as the main point of contact for staff, providing leadership, guidance and support. Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of DART services and deliver training relevant to programme delivery and management. Represent Inclusion professionally at meetings, conferences, training events and with prison and commissioning partners. Produce, analyse and present performance data, statistical reports and service outcomes using DART reporting systems. Monitor staff attendance and performance in line with MPFT policies. Support and develop service user involvement, peer mentors, recovery champions and volunteers. Ensure compliance with Trust policies, equality and diversity standards, and current legislation. Keep staff informed of developments in treatment, practice and service delivery. Design and facilitate group interventions and recovery programmes, undertake service development projects, and carry out additional duties that support the effective delivery of the DART service.

About us

Inclusion, created in 2002 is part of the Specialist Services Care Group of Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (MPFT). We provide caring and effective services across England, including, West Yorkshire, West Midlands, East Midlands, West Mercia, Thames Valley, Hampshire,

We believe that the individuals and families who use our services should receive high quality, committed and inclusive care, realising all the benefits a modern NHS organisation can provide. We work with patients and our staff teams to achieve the best outcomes we can. We invest heavily in training and development, and the wellbeing of our people, both staff and service users is central to who we are.

Inclusion aspires to become an organisation which embeds trauma informed principles into everything we do. People who use our services, staff and stakeholders will all have a voice in this process as we embark on our journey. We adopt a learning and reflective approach to this work; never claiming to be finished and always keen to develop and grow, acknowledging there will be times when we do not 'get it right'.

Here at MPFT, we are proud of the comprehensive wellbeing and lifestyle support offer available, in addition to in-house training and coaching support. Our services are robustly governed, evidence-based, inclusive, and designed and provided in conjunction with service users. We are committed to providing the best service we can, and if you share our values, we want you on our team!

Job responsibilities

Please see the Job Description for further details.

Lead and manage a needs-led, recovery-focused psychosocial substance misuse service within a custodial setting, providing low and high intensity drug and alcohol interventions. Oversee the delivery of DART services, psychosocial programmes, and the Inclusion Recovery Programme (IRP), ensuring high-quality support for service users throughout their recovery journey.

Qualifications & Training

• Professional Qualification (Degree & Post graduation or equivalent)
• Relevant experience in comparative setting inclusive of management experience

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Knowledge of substance misuse and treatment services in custodial setting
• Ability to work with drug/alcohol users in a prison environment
• Ability to manage a multi-disciplinary team
• Excellent communication skills and a willingness to promote service user involvement.

Experience

• Experience of criminal justice field
• Experience of working with offenders
• Experience of working with substance misuse

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name: Inclusion

Address: HMP Bullingdon, Bicester, OX25 1PZ, United Kingdom

Employer contact details: For questions about the job, contact: Cluster Manager, Liam Rhodes, [e-mail], 07710260936