Routes out of Prison Partnership

Over the last two years the Wise Group and its partners have been working to establish the Routes Out of Prison partnership programme as a new and innovative approach to helping short-term offenders deal effectively with the transition from prison to the community. Working with the Scottish Prison Service, Families Outside and Apex Scotland we have now received a significant investment from Big Lottery Scotland, which will allow us, over the next three years, to develop ROOP into a truly national Scottish programme.

Our aim will be over the next three years to engage with 5000 offenders and provide them with transitional support both in prison and immediately upon their release. This support will focus on helping offenders strengthen family relationships and deal with the immediate and very real challenges they face in accessing key services such as housing, health, welfare benefits and employment.

Working through Scotland’s eight Community Justice Authorities the programme will roll out in three phases with phase one concentrating broadly on Authorities covering the West of Scotland. Phases two will focus on Lothian and Borders, Forth Valley and Fife with phase three covering Tayside and Northern CJA areas.

There are now two exciting opportunities to become part of this exciting and ambitious programme:
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ROOPp South West Scotland

1 x Prison Life Coach
Ref: ROOPp/PLC/SW
Salary Scale: circa £18,000, 35 hours per week, Based HMP Kilmarnock
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ROOPp North Strathclyde

1 x Prison Life Coach
Ref: ROOPp/PLC/NS
Salary Scale: circa £18,000, 35 hours per week, Based HMP Gateside (Greenock)
Closing Date for Returned application: 12 noon on Friday 4 July 2008

You may well have a previous offending background and spent some time in prison.  Now’s your chance to put this experience to good use.

Either through working inside the prison establishment or by managing a caseload of clients who are reaching liberation and/or have been recently released from prison, you will provide support and guidance with the aim of re-integration into the community.  The focus of this support will be on signposting offenders to community services which can help address their immediate problems in areas such as housing, health, benefits or employment. 

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and show empathy towards the client group.  Whist no formal qualifications are necessary all life coaches will be expected to demonstrate a good level of written and verbal communication skills.  Team working is paramount although the ability to work on your own initiative will also be very important.

See below for more details.

In view of the nature of these posts, the successful candidates will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure Check in terms of Part V of the Police Act 1997.
 
JOB DESCRIPTION
Post: Life Coach
Location Glasgow based in (1) HMP Kilmarnock; (2) HMP Gateside (Greenock)
Line Manager: Team Leader
   
Purpose of Job:

Responsible for actively being involved in the provision of comprehensive employment centred advice and guidance to individuals registered with the service. 

The role will centre on working directly with SPS and external agencies to increase the client’s employability levels through support in the areas of health, housing, finance and social. 

This project involves the families of ex offenders supporting their resettlement into the community and the post holder will have a role in supporting this aim through provision of information and signposting of families to other organisations
Key Tasks:
  • Liaise with your line manager and colleagues to ensure that standards of work are maintained, continuously reviewed, improved and to play an active part in setting performance targets as defined by funding criteria.
  • Report to your supervisor on client progression and inter-agency activities in achieving standards and performance expectations
  • Liaise with the nominated Employment Consultant to ensure that Service Users are effectively engaged as appropriate with job focused activity
  • Support, guide and motivate colleagues and clients to achieve consistent high standards of performance
  • Portray a positive image of ROOP partnership and all agencies involved
  • Ability to work as a member of a team with very good communication skills to ensure the client receives a high quality service at all time

Key Agencies:
  • Liaise closely and develop effective partnerships with SPS staff and external agencies relevant to client needs
  • To liaise directly with existing Addiction, Homelessness and Criminal Justice organisations in accepting referrals to caseload provision and providing additional support the individual requires
  • Create the motivational environment essential to successfully engage service users, often labouring with associated issues around offending, addition (particularly alcohol), homelessness and mental well-being and who are referred to the project and/or recruited to
  • Contribute to creation of an individual employment plan for each particular service user
  • Communicate positively with family members within the protocols and guidance for the project and also with family focused SPS personnel and external agencies
  • Provide appropriate level of support, advice and guidance to participants in carrying out planned activities
  • Assist clients to set achievable goals in relation to their transition from prison into employment
  • Be familiar with your client caseload and their individual employment aims and requirements
  • Maintain effective and accurate client records including development plans, contact activity and case notes
  • Present a tidy, professional image to internal and external customers
 

Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Behaviours:

  •  Case management experience and ability to broker support with external agencies
  • Personal experience or knowledge of the barriers faced by people      who have experienced addiction, offending and homelessness in accessing employment
  • Ability to find innovative and informed solutions to the challenges faced   by the client group in accessing work
  • Enthusiasm and high levels of interest in the area of work.
  • IT skills to include: Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Databases
  • Ability to communicate well and demonstrate good level of   interpersonal skills
  • Ability to work as part of a team
  •  Experience in one or more of the following: financial planning/welfare benefits advice or advocacy is desirable but not essential.
 

APPLICATION CRITERIA

This position covers a large geographical area; therefore use of a car is essential for this post.

As part of this project, all staff involved will be subject to a Disclosure check, although, it is expected that some applicants will have a previous criminal record, further criteria indicators will be used for selecting successful applicants.  This criteria will also include the necessity for individuals to be currently stable in relation to housing arrangements, addictions and offending activity.

All post holders will undertake a tailored training package in order to enhance their ability to case manage the service users of this project and work effectively with colleagues and external agencies.
 

NOTE:

This is a description of the job, as it is currently constituted.  It is the practice of this company to periodically review employee’s job descriptions and to update them to ensure that they relate to the job being performed, or incorporate whatever changes are being proposed.  Each manager and those reporting to him or her jointly carry out this process.  You will therefore be expected to participate fully in any such discussions.

FLEXIBILITY:

As a term of your employment you can be required to undertake such other duties commensurate with your Grade, and hours of work, as may be reasonable required of you.

If you are interested in either or both of these posts please download the appropriate application forms and information pack from the button below.

The Criminal Records Declaration Form appropriate to this vacancy is the Enhanced Declaration available from the Application Pack page. This must be downloaded, completed and returned.

Download your Application Pack click here: Application Pack

The application form may be completed on your computer or printed first for completion by hand but it must be printed out and signed before posting to the address below.

Importand Note: As the Criminal Records Declaration form must be completed, signed and returned in a sealed envelope along with the completed application form, we are unable to accept emailed applications, all must be posted to Administration Department, 9 Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7TP

If you prefer, you may write to us for an application pack and detailed information on the post, quoting the appropriate reference number and enclosing stamped (65p) self addressed envelope to:

Head Office
Administration Department,
Apex Trust Scotland
9 Great Stuart Street,
Edinburgh
EH3 7TP
Note: Most of the contents of the information pack which you can obtain from Apex Scotland by mail is already included above. The remainder consists of the application forms themselves and a list of senior Apex Scotland staff which may be seen on the Management & Structure page of this site.
When completing your application, please indicate clearly using the reference which post (s) you are applying for.
Apex Scotland is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Applications are welcomed from ex-offenders regardless of unrelated criminal convictions.
Apex Trust Scotland is a charitable organisation and is recognised by the Inland Revenue as a Scottish Charity No SCO23879 at 9 Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh EH3 7TP

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