Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator - Berkshire, Bucks, Oxon and Milton Keynes PDU

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

The reoffending rate has remained broadly static at around 29% since 2010. Reoffending is costing society approximately £18bn per year and almost half of all prisoners reoffend within 12 months of release.

The Prisons Strategy White Paper was published in December 2021. As part of the paper, MOJ and HMPPS committed to:

"Introduce Health and Justice Partnership Coordinators in every probation region in England by 2024/25"

We know that many offenders with a substance misuse need also have a mental health problem. These staff will build connections between commissioners and providers across substance misuse and mental health services in the community to ensure that clear pathways into treatment are in place for all offenders leaving prison, including those with coexisting needs.

The Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator role will work strategically to support people to access appropriate support and treatment once someone is released, known as ‘continuity of care.’ It is incredibly important, because of increased health risks including relapse and death as well as an increased risk of reoffending. The post holder will work to ensure that people released from prison into the community have the right access to local health services to address their health needs during their resettlement period and beyond. For example, working with stakeholders to improve successful engagement in community-based treatment within 21 days of release from prison.

This role will work at system level to improve the lives of people in contact with the criminal justice system (CJS), specifically around improving and maintaining their health and wellbeing.

Working as a Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator is a unique and rewarding role, with a focus on operational delivery. They will work in tandem with relevant local partners and HMPPS operational policy leads to develop practice related to substance misuse and health-related release planning, designing and consulting on process to enable information sharing, the use of substance misuse and health-related licence conditions and understanding of health and substance misuse resettlement pathways.

To learn more about the Health and Justice Partnership Coordinator role please join the Accelerator Prisons Project team for a digital information session on 17th May 2022 12:30pm – 13:30pm. The session will be made available on Teams using the following link:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MzlmYTBlYjUtNTQ4YS00MTJlLWE1MzItMmQwZDY4NTkzMTIz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22c6874728-71e6-41fe-a9e1-2e8c36776ad8%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%228e7b404b-88cb-4dcc-8bc4-e97f4f4bf3ee%22%2c%22IsBroadcastMeeting%22%3atrue%7d&btype=a&role=a

Overview of the job

The job holder is strategic lead on strengthening and developing continuity of care pathways so those leaving prison can access treatment and support on release, as part of the organisation’s aims on reducing/breaking the cycle of reoffending.

As a strategic role within the Probation Service (PS), post holders are accountable to the Head of Community Integration.

The role will work regionally and be based within a community probation office with the expectation that post holders will travel as and when required, including regular visits into selected prisons.

In line with PS policies and procedures, the job holder must at all times demonstrate a commitment to equality and inclusion and an understanding of their relevance to the work they do.

Summary

The job holder will be expected to lead on continuity of care pathways working in tandem with relevant local partners and HMPPS colleagues to develop practice related to substance misuse and health-related release planning.

This includes designing and consulting on processes to enable information sharing, improving the use of substance misuse and health-related licence conditions, and understanding of health and substance misuse resettlement pathways.

The post holder must adhere to all policies in respect of the sensitive/confidential nature of the information handled whilst working in this position.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

· Develop effective relationships with key partners including prisoners, people on probation, prisons, treatment providers in custody and community and commissioners to identify opportunities to improve join-up, locally innovate and drive forward national priority workstreams.

· Lead strategic discussions with partners and stakeholders to ensure a whole system approach to the delivery of health and justice pathways from custody to community setting.

· Use performance data to drive activity to improve probation and prison practice and inform partnership working. With a key of focus on Substance misuse and continuity of care pathways. This is also to include engagement with prisoners and people on probation to understand how to improve health and substance misuse pathways.

· Lead joint partnership working with health and substance misuse partners to design a more integrated health and justice partnership, focusing on continuity of care pathways. Where the service exists, drive improvements in service integration between probation and NHS England and Improvement’s Reconnect service.

· Identify good practice and innovation opportunities to improve substance misuse and health continuity of care pathways. Drive these forward locally and share with national teams.

· Provide a key interface between national Offender Health teams within HMPPS and regional probation delivery. This includes escalating local concerns and needs and ensuring communication and delivery of agreed national activity.

· Increase understanding within Probation about good practice and health and substance misuse pathways to support continuity of care, operating as a specialist point of contact across the region for both Probation and its partners.

· Drive partnership working with the prison Drug Strategy Leads and PGD leads offering advice and support to manage the transition into the community to improve substance misuse continuity of care.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

Behaviours

· Changing and Improving

· Communicating and Influencing

· Working Together

· Leadership

· Seeing the Big Picture

Experience

· Worked with prisoners or those engaged in the criminal justice system with a proven record of good practice in a variety of settings.

· Experience of working across stakeholder groups and Other Government Departments.

· Excellent influencing skills, showing the ability to deal effectively with conflict and deliver objectives.

· Experience of working under pressure and fulfilling demanding deadlines with experience of setting goals and achieving targets.

· Experience of working flexibly as a member of a team to achieve performance targets.

· Experience in delivering change across large organisations and multiple stakeholders.

· Evidence of ability to evaluate practice.

· Demonstrable achievements in managing/supporting change and effecting improvements in quality and efficiency.

· Able to demonstrate well developed IT skills, including evidence of ability to interpret and apply performance reports.

· Experience of proactively championing diversity and inclusiveness both internally and externally.

· Knowledge of health pathways for those leaving prison, particularly for substance misuse and mental health, including the key partners involved.

· Sound understanding of probation processes, including release planning.