Prison Link Worker
Location: HMP Highdown & HMP Feltham (with pan-London support as required)
Salary: £25,207 per annum
Hours: Monday – Friday, 09:00 – 17:00 (with some flexibility required)
Vacancy Type: Permanent
Closing Date: 29 Sep 2025
We are looking for a committed and resilient Prison Link Worker to join our Dependency and Recovery Service. This is an exciting opportunity to support men in custody and through-the-gate into the community, ensuring a seamless transition from prison to treatment and other support services.
Please note: Full prison vetting is required for this role. You will be expected to work day-to-day in prison settings, carrying keys, and representing the service as the sole worker on site.
As a Prison Link Worker, you will:
- Work in-person at HMP Highdown & HMP Feltham, supporting service users before and after release.
- Manage risks associated with transition to community, including treatment drop-out and overdose prevention.
- Provide continuity of care by ensuring community substance misuse appointments are made and attended, including meet-and-greet support on release.
- Build strong relationships with prison substance misuse teams, probation staff, and community agencies.
- Carry a diverse caseload of mainly adult male prison leavers and those on probation/community orders.
- Conduct comprehensive assessments, develop SMART action plans, and maintain accurate case records.
- Deliver both 1:1 and group interventions using motivational and trauma-informed approaches.
- Travel across sites (with access to a car required) to ensure consistency of support across the service.
- Support the service in achieving targets set by local commissioners and the organisation.
About You
We are looking for someone with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to work independently in secure environments.
Essential Skills & Experience:
- Thorough understanding of the needs of clients with substance misuse issues in custody and post-release.
- Demonstrable experience managing high caseloads, conducting risk/comprehensive assessments, and developing effective action plans.
- Experience delivering 1:1 and group interventions using motivational and trauma-informed approaches.
- Experience of working within treatment and/or criminal justice services.
- Strong partnership-working skills with the ability to maintain professional boundaries.
- Ability to organise workload effectively, managing time and priorities to meet targets.
- Commitment to equal opportunities, GDPR, and confidentiality.
- Full UK driving licence and access to a car.
- Confident working autonomously within a prison setting.
- Competent in using electronic case management systems and Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Teams).
About Us
We are The Forward Trust, the social enterprise with charitable status that empowers people to break the often interlinked cycles of crime and addiction to move forward with their lives. For more than 25 years we have been working with people to build positive and productive lives, whatever their past. We believe that anyone is capable of lasting change. Our services have supported thousands of people to make positive changes and build productive lives with a job, family, friends and a sense of community.
We are committed to our cause and the work we carry out as a charity. Equally the wellbeing and the employees who work for us are also important. Joining us an employee, we will offer you the following benefits -
- Flexible working
- Training and development opportunities
- Simply Health Cashback Scheme (optional)
- Season Ticket Loan Scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Crisis Loan Scheme
- Electric Car Scheme
- 3 x Wellbeing Days (pro rata'd for part time employees)
- Access to Blue Light Card
- 25 days (rising to 30 with length of service) Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays
- Contributory Pension Scheme – Employer matched contributions of up to 6% in the first two years’ service and up to 9% thereafter
- Death in Service Payment (2x annual salary)
- Critical Illness Insurance (subject to qualifying criteria)
To Apply
If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please proceed through the following link to be redirected to their website to complete your application.
https://careers.forwardtrust.org.uk/vacancies/365/prison-link-worker-hmp-highdown--hmp-feltham-onsite.html
