Support Time Recovery Worker

Surrey County Council; Ashford; On-site; GBP 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in the UK is looking for a Support Time Recovery Worker to join their Prisons team. The position involves engaging with prisoners to help them access vital services and build independence. Responsibilities include direct support, assistance with personal care, and coordinating with other professionals in a challenging environment. Ideal candidates will have experience in mental health and disabilities, and possess a compassionate, resilient attitude.

Benefits

26 days' holiday

Option to buy additional annual leave

Extensive Employee Assistance Programme

Carer's leave

Local government pension

Lifestyle discounts

Learning and development hub

Travel expenses

Qualifications

• Experience across older persons, mental health, learning disabilities, or physical disabilities.
• Self-motivated with a high level of autonomous working.
• Flexible to work in a challenging environment.

Responsibilities

• Visit service users in prison wings, providing support as per individual support plans.
• Assist with personal care, managing correspondence, and maintaining cleanliness.
• Work closely with other professionals and participate in reviews and assessments.

Skills

Experience with mental health

Autonomous working

Flexibility and adaptability

Compassion

Job description

Description

The starting salary for this role is £30,647 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.This is a 12-month fixed term contract / secondment opportunity. Please discuss with your line manager before submitting your application.

We are excited to be recruiting a Support Time Recovery Worker join our fantastic Prisons team. This position is based atHMP Bronzefield, with the expectation to attend and support across all Surrey prisons. Each postholder will be primarily linked to a designated prison but will also be expected to work across other establishments as needed, helping to maintain service coverageseven days a week between 8am and 8pm.

You will be required to workface-to-face with service users, providing direct support. However, there will be opportunities to work from home for tasks such as recording case notes, attending virtual meetings, and completing training.

Rewards and Benefits

• 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Travel expenses

About the Role

Looking for a meaningful role where you can make a difference? As a Support Time Recovery Worker, you'll help prisoners access vital services like healthcare, education, and work opportunities. Working closely with Social Workers and Occupational Therapists, you'll motivate individuals to build independence in daily living, navigate prison systems, and prepare for life after release. It's a challenging but rewarding role for someone who's empathetic, resilient, and passionate about supporting others to make positive changes.

The implementation of the Care Act (2014) means Surrey County Council now holds social care responsibilities whilst prisoners reside in Surrey Prisons. This is an exciting and developing area of social care and we are looking to appoint a full time Support Time and Recovery Worker to join our team to deliver social care into prisons.

A typical day in this role involves visiting service users on the prison wings and providing support in line with their individual support plans.This may include assistance with personal care, managing correspondence, maintaining the cleanliness of their living spaces, and helping them integrate into the prison environment.

You will work directly with individuals who have a range of disabilities, including mental health conditions, learning disabilities/ASD, and physical impairments. You'll also participate in reviews and assessments alongside your team and maintain regular contact with other professionals within the prison, attending scheduled meetings as required.

The ideal candidate will be compassionate, capable of working both independently and as part of a team. The role involves travel to various prisons across Surrey during the day. As part of the position, you will be required to complete Ministry of Justice (MOJ) checks and will be issued keys to access the prison and move independently within the wings.

Shortlisting Criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• You have experience across older persons, mental health, learning disabilities or physical disabilities.
• You are self-motivated with a high level of autonomous working.
• You are flexible and adaptable to work in a challenging and demanding environment to promote the social care agenda within the prisons for those who are eligible for services.

Surrey has both urban and rural areas and locality based social care workers will be expected to have a valid driving licence to drive in the UK and access to a vehicle and be willing to travel across a wide geographical area. Reasonable adjustments where needed will be made for successful applicants who have a disability or long term health condition to enable them to fulfil the requirements of the job.

Application Questions

To apply, alongside your CV, you will be asked to answer the following questions:

• Please describe your professional experience working with one or more of the following groups: older persons, individuals with mental health needs, learning disabilities, or physical disabilities.
• Tell us about a time when you had to work independently with minimal supervision. How did you manage your workload, make decisions, and ensure high-quality outcomes?
• Working within a prison setting can be demanding and complex. What do you envisage could be the challenges working in a prison setting?
• Can you provide an example of how you have promoted the social care agenda or supported a vulnerable individual?

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 16/11/2025 with interviews to follow.

An enhanced DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) and the Children's and Adults' Barred List checks will be required for this role.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to new unitary councils in April 2027. If you employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of these new councils, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum criteria, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.