Recovery Counsellor - HMP Wormwood Scrubs & HMP Brixton

We are The Forward Trust (formerly RAPt and Blue Sky), 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.

What you will be doing?

The Substance Misuse Services at HMP Wormwood Scrubs and HMP Brixton are commissioned to deliver psychosocial interventions within an integrated healthcare framework known as the New Models of Care (NMOC). The team work in close partnership with healthcare services to deliver services across various functions including Early Days in Custody (EDiC), unscheduled care, planned care, release and resettlement. The service is based on site within the prison delivering interventions directly to service users aged 18 and over residing at both prisons. HMP Wormwood Scrubs is a closed category men’s prisons in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and HMP Brixton in the London Borough of Lambeth, South London.

The service takes a recovery orientated and trauma informed approach to delivery of holistic health and wellbeing interventions and various treatment programmes for those coming into the prison who experience drugs and/or alcohol misuse issues.
As Recovery Counsellor, you will support the integrated Services to deliver a counselling service using appropriate interventions dependent on the requirements of the individual client.

You will be required to manage a caseload, deliver psychosocial structured 1:1 and group work sessions and group therapy.
The role will require you to work collaboratively alongside a team of Recovery Workers to enhance effective engagement of clients in structured treatment programmes and other interventions. As Recovery Counsellor you will be expected to take a proactive approach to building partnerships with mental health, wider healthcare services and the prison.

Please note this role will be based working across both HMP Brixton and HMP Wormwood Scrubs, therefore travel will be required between sites.

What we are looking for?

• To provide counselling assessments and treatment of clients referred into the Footsteps and/or Bridge programmes. 
• To formulate and implement cohesive counselling treatment and/or management plans for clients mental health and wellbeing needs, based upon an appropriate conceptual framework of the client’s. difficulties and to employ methods of therapeutic intervention most appropriate to the individual case. 
• To evaluate treatment options taking into account both theoretical and therapeutic models and highly complex factors concerning historical and developmental processes that have shaped the client.
• To provide counselling advice and consultation to clients when required. 
• To contribute directly and indirectly to a psychologically based framework of understanding and care to the benefit of all clients of the Integrated Wellbeing and Recovery service, and agencies serving the client group.
• To communicate in a skilled and sensitive manner, information concerning the formulation and treatment plans of clients under their care and to monitor progress, taking into account professional requirements on ethics and confidentiality.

Service Delivery

• To receive regular counselling and management supervision from Team Leaders and external supervisors.
• To work closely with the Wellbeing and Recovery services in order to contribute to the development planning and delivery of services and to assist in the support and training, as appropriate, to other disciplines as requested.
• To plan and facilitate counselling sessions as part of the Wellbeing and Recovery range of interventions as required by the Team Leaders or Service Manager, for all suitable clients. 
• To be involved in the assessment of needs of clients in the unit and support them in their recovery.
• To organise the involvement of peer supporters and Health and Wellbeing Champions in supporting counselling clients.
• To manage a caseload to whom one to one counselling is provided.
• Following assessment, to be responsible for creating a safe and supportive therapeutic counselling relationship using a wide range of appropriate interventions to progress the work and meet the assessed needs of the client in counselling, adhering to an agreed activity contract relating to the number of client contacts offered, and counselling sessions carried out per week in order to minimise waiting times and ensure Wellbeing and Recovery treatment delivery remains accessible and convenient.
• To engage in a collaborative manner to build resilience and hope focusing on recovery and engage effectively with the client group Performance Management.
• Provide Wellbeing and Recovery counselling interventions, face to face to clients within the prison structure.
• To continue to gain wider post-qualification experience of counselling and psychological therapies as agreed with the Team Leader or Service Manager.
• Participate and contribute to the development and presentation of new Wellbeing and Recovery treatment initiatives.
• To maintain up to date, accurate official counselling records, complying with all legislative requirements regarding the protection and security of data, and adhere to the Organisation’s Information Governance policies.
• To be aware of, and keep up to date with advances in the spheres of Wellbeing and Recovery Counselling and other agreed psychological therapies.
• To be accountable for own ethical, professional and clinical counselling practices whilst working within professional body Code of Ethics and good practice guidance, Health and Wellbeing Clinical Governance requirements and prison policies and procedures.
• To ensure clear professional objectives are identified, discussed and reviewed with Team leader/Service Manager on a regular basis as part of continuing professional development.
• To attend Management supervision on a regular basis as agreed with Team Leader/Service Manager.
• To participate in individual performance review and respond to agreed objectives.
• To keep up to date with all records in relation to C.P.D. and ensure personal development plan maintains up to date specialist knowledge of latest theoretical and Wellbeing and Recovery service delivery models/developments.

Departmental Management

• Participate and contribute to raising mental health and wellbeing awareness by representing the Integrated Wellbeing and Recovery service by working closely with other health professionals and third sector providers.
• Work closely with other members of the team ensuring appropriate arrangements are in place to maintain a stepped care service approach.
• To provide an in depth emotional and psychological assessment of clients referred through Programmes according to Integrated Wellbeing and Recovery service criteria.
• To undertake risk assessment and take the appropriate action. [possibly breaching patient confidentiality in the interests of the patient or as dictated by legislation].
• Following assessment, identify and negotiate the focus and contract for time-limited counselling using clinical/health and wellbeing judgement.
• To identify desirable developments in the established Integrated Wellbeing and Recovery service and make recommendations to the team.
• To participate in service education activities as required, and in collaboration with the Team Leader/Service Manager, identify on-going professional needs for continuing professional development.
•  To gather clinical/health and wellbeing evidence using counselling and activity data as required.
• To contribute to the development of best practice within the integrated Wellbeing and Recovery service, acting as a role model and mentor within multi-disciplinary team.
• Promote and develop Mental Health and Wellbeing awareness and psychological mindedness through contact with the client group and other clinical staff.

Quality and Safety

• To offer an additional specialist service within the Prison setting [e.g. group work].
• To facilitate individual counselling and groupwork interventions (if required).

What we offer

• Training opportunities and career development
• Flexible working
• Season ticket loan scheme
• Electric Car Scheme
• Crisis Loan Scheme
• Simply Health - Health Cashback Scheme
• 3 x Wellbeing Days (Pro Rata'd for Part Time Employees)
• Access to Blue Light Card
• Cycle to work scheme
• 25 Days annual leave plus Bank Holidays (rising to 30 days with length of service)
• Excellent contributory pension scheme. Employer matched contributions of up 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)