Job Description
Job Title: Family Engagement Manager
Reports to: Services Manager, Wales & South West
Direct Reports: 1 FTE Family Engagement Worker, 1 FTE Senior Groupwork Co-ordinator, 1 FTE Services Support Worker, 0.5 FTE Children’s Play Specialist, students and volunteers
Location: HMP Berwyn
Introduction Pact is a highly respected independent charity. Pact Futures is a Community Interest Company, wholly owned by Pact. Together we form Pact Group. We work across England and Wales to develop and deliver a range of innovative services, providing practical and emotional support to prisoners’ children and families, to prisoners, and to ex-offenders. We enable active community engagement in criminal justice work through facilitating volunteering. Our work is founded on core values, the first of which is a belief in the innate dignity of every human being. Our focus is on human relationships, family and community. We are committed to achieving high standards of quality in all that we do.
Job purpose As a Family Engagement Manager, you will ensure the delivery and continued development of consistently high quality, cost-effective and responsive services, grounded in pact’s charitable mission, vision and values. Pact have been invited to deliver family services at HMP Berwyn, a new rehabilitative prison set to open in early 2017. The prison aims to give the men in custody the best opportunity to address their offending behaviour and focus on their futures. HMP Berwyn is committed to providing a safe, decent and secure environment where men are encouraged and assisted to prepare for a fresh start in life and to reintegrate back into their families and communities. Working as part of this rehabilitative culture, you would be expected to share the values-based approach of both Pact and HMP Berwyn. Working within Pact’s mission, vision and values, and within NOMS/HM Prison Service rules and regulations, the post holder will be responsible for managing a front line family support service to families affected by imprisonment. The service will be delivered to men serving sentences at HMP Berwyn, their children and families. The service is expected to reduce the likelihood of the men reoffending through supporting and maintaining family contact. The service will provide support to ensure that children, families and prisoners are treated with respect and dignity. The service will also help ensure families are able to gain greater access to support and early help within their local community and services and families work together to decrease the chance of intergenerational crime.
This post will lead the establishment of Pact’s services in a new prison, and will be required to set up processes and procedures for the service, with support from an experienced manager. This will include the support of a new team of staff and close working with the prison to ensure effective partnership approaches to family provision.
Job title Page 2 Month and year created/revised Key Duties and Responsibilities
Management
1. To manage the family support services at HMP Berwyn, which include casework, groupwork, visits support and outreach with families where appropriate;
2. To lead, by outstanding example, a dedicated Family Support team in supporting prisoners and their families;
3. To co-ordinate staff resource to ensure the smooth running and high performance of a comprehensive service which runs alongside, and complements, that provided by HMP Berwyn;
4. To provide warm, encouraging, person-centred management to a team of Pact People (including volunteers and student placements) and lead staff meetings, training, supervision and appraisal meetings as required;
5. To manage, with support, the budget and financial reporting for Pact’s services at HMP Berwyn;
6. To be the lead contact for Pact’s contract with the prison, attending contract review meetings, stakeholder groups, focus groups and reviews as required;
7. To lead, with support, the recruitment and induction of additional staff, student placements and volunteers as required.
Casework and support
8. To ensure prisoners, their children, carers and other relatives have access to appropriate advice, guidance, learning opportunities, care and support to better enable them to maintain or enhance positive relationships;
9. To assist in developing referral pathways for families, prisoners and other professionals to access the service, as well as pathways into other relevant services;
10. To take on complex casework, and carry out detailed assessments to inform further work with the family unit;
Job title Page 3 Month and year created/revised 11. To advocate for families dealing with imprisonment, promoting their human rights and ensuring their needs are considered, and views are heard at all levels.
Partnership working
12. To develop and maintain good, pro-active working relationships with agencies both in the prison and in the community, including promotion of Pact and development of referral procedures;
13. Work closely with the prison and other case managers/key staff as appropriate, to provide support to men in custody regarding family issues;
14. Liaise with key departments to signpost men to other support in custody;
15. To promote the reputation of Pact in order to attract support from additional statutory and third sector partners.
Recording and reporting
16. To set up and maintain robust systems for thorough data collection, management and storage;
17. To attend key meetings, providing performance feedback to stakeholders and NOMS staff;
18. To complete accurate and timely monthly service reports and submit updates on the service to Pact and external partners as required.
Other
19. To represent and promote Pact by attending conferences and meetings and to participate in delivering presentations to relevant parties as required.
20. To ensure that policies and procedures such as Safeguarding, Data Security and Prison Security Procedures are adhered to at all times;
21. To undertake any other relevant duties as required by line management.
Job title Page 4 Month and year created/revised Employee Responsibilities
1. To work as a member of the Pact participating in mandatory and refresher training, information exchange and skill sharing.
2. To support the recruitment, vetting, training, and supervision of placements of volunteers drawn from local communities and/or student placements, to support the delivery of services.
3. To maintain accurate records as required and records of own annual leave, TOIL and (where appropriate) use of flexi-time.
4. To ensure prison security policies and rules are adhered to by pact staff and volunteers at all times. Pact personnel must comply at all times with prison security regulations. In a highly restricted environment pressure will be encountered to breach security, often on the grounds of compassion. It is essential that Pact workers are able to recognise and resist this pressure, work within the defined boundaries and report attempts to breach security to their line manager without delay.
5. To behave at all times in a professional manner and to be a good role model to other staff, volunteers, students and our clients;
6. To adhere to Pact’s and HMP Berwyn policies and procedures, including confidentiality, safe working practices, equal opportunities, child protection and health and safety;
7. To be pro-active in keeping up to date with good practice and policies and ensuring that these are communicated and adhered to;
8. To promote Equality of Opportunity and Diversity through own work;
9. To attend relevant internal and external meetings;
10. The post-holder is responsible for their own self-development on a continuous basis, which should be regularly reviewed with their line manager through supervision and appraisal.
11. To undertake any other duties commensurate with the post as required.
The Prison Advice & Care Trust is a developing organisation and consequently this job description will be reviewed and duties may change over time
Job title Page 5 Month and year created/revised Pact Standards
Equal Opportunities : Pact has a strong commitment to achieving equality of opportunity and expects all employees to implement and promote its policy in their own work.
Service User Participation: People who use our services are at the heart of everything we do. We strive for a culture in which prisoners, ex-offenders and their families are listened to, their opinions are respected and they are actively involved in decision making which leads to change. This change can be in prisoners, ex-offenders and their families (skills, knowledge, development or attitude), the services they get and use and the wider society.
Health and Safety : Pact is committed to a healthy and safe working environment and expects all its employees to co-operate with Pact to implement and promote its policy in all aspects of their work.
Conduct: All staff are required to conduct themselves in a lawful, professional, courteous and respectful manner, in accordance with the charity’s values and ethos. Our work within secure establishments, with ex-offenders in the community, and with children and adults with multiple and complex needs, requires all staff to operate at all times with due regard to security, safeguarding and protecting children, public protection, and professional boundaries. All staff are required to conform with policies and procedures detailed in the Pact handbooks, and as required by the Ministry of Justice and National Offender Management Service, and local rules which may be in force at individual prisons. Staff are also required to comply with detailed policies and guidance regarding confidentiality, Data Security and use of ICT (Information and Communication Technology), and maintaining privacy of all its staff and service users. Staff are required to ensure that they maintain an up to date awareness of relevant policies and procedures, and to take a positive approach to their own learning and development.
Pact is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Job title Page 6 Month and year created/revised PERSON SPECIFICATION – JOB TITLE
Knowledge, skills and abilities Selection Criteria Essential Desirable
Education, Qualifications and Relevant degree level / professional qualification in social care or equivalent, Knowledge and/ or experience
Experience and skills Work with families and disadvantaged groups in a multi agency environment and demonstrable understanding of it.
Interagency work, building partnerships, promoting positive relationships between different agencies, and developing new approaches to service delivery
Casework with clients/service users, and of maintaining clear, up to date records in accordance to the Data Protection Act (1998). Demonstrable Experience of working in a team and delivering and managing front line services.
Experience of working with volunteers
Communication Skills and Personal Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. effectiveness Good negotiation and advocacy skills.
Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage a demanding work
Job title Page 7 Month and year created/revised load. Ability to use initiative
Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work in partnership with a range of agencies, at both strategic and operational service delivery level.
Ability to work in a challenging environment and remain calm.
Demonstrable ability to work with diverse group of staff and service users Experience of managing people
Beliefs, Attitudes & Behaviours Commitment to the Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy of Pact.
An awareness of and respect for the founding principles of Pact as an organisation created within the Catholic Christian community in England and Wales, and the ability to relate with empathy and sensitivity to supporters, staff and volunteers who are motivated by this tradition, or by their faith. Commitment to the inclusive culture of Pact and to the active promotion of equal opportunities. Committed to continuous personal development and learning, and responsiveness to constructive feedback. Results orientated with a ‘can do’ attitude.
Job title Page 8 Month and year created/revised Emotionally and psychologically resilient with good coping strategies
Other Requirements The ability to travel within England and Wales according to the needs of the job, with reasonable adjustments, if required, according to the Disability Discrimination Act.
Ability to work flexibly including regular evening and weekend work in order to meet deadlines.
Terms and Conditions:
Length of contract: Permanent contract Salary: £26,500 - £28,000 (full time actual)
Pension: Contributory pension scheme with employee contributions of 1% matched by the employer, enrolment after 3 months of service
Annual Leave: 30 days annual leave and 8 days Bank Holidays per year (full time equivalent)
Hours of work: 37.5 hours per week (full time equivalent)
Place of Work: Post-holder will be expected to be based at HMP Berwyn with occasional travel into London and nationally
Benefits: Employee Assistance Programme, free eye tests, cycle to work scheme, childcare vouchers and season ticket loans.
This post is subject to a 6 month probationary period, verification of identity and proven right to work in the UK, satisfactory references from previous employers covering a 3 year period, an enhanced Disclosure (DBS), declaration of any criminal convictions (and where appropriate a satisfactory risk assessment) and Prison Vetting. Please note that being bankrupt or having County Court Judgements may affect your ability to be successfully vetted to work in a prison.
Job title Page 9 Month and year created/revised