Overview
Prison Link Worker London South West HMP Highdown & HMP Felltham – HMP Wandsworth & Brixton – London
Permanent
£25,207
Location: HMP Belmarsh, HMP Isis, HMP Thameside (with pan-London support when required)
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00–17:00 (occasional flexibility required)
As a Prison Link Worker within the Dependency and Recovery Service, you will provide vital support for individuals transitioning from custody back into the community. Working across three London prisons, you will manage clients pre-release, through the gate, and post-release, ensuring continuity of care and successful engagement with treatment and support services.
This in-person role is central to reducing reoffending and supporting recovery. You will work autonomously in prison settings, represent the service, and collaborate with substance misuse teams, probation, and other partners to achieve positive outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide through-the-gate support for individuals leaving custody, ensuring smooth transition into community treatment and services.
- Build strong working relationships with prison-based substance misuse teams and offender management services.
- Manage risks during the transition to community, including treatment drop-out, overdose, and harm minimisation.
- Deliver meet-and-greet support for individuals with a history of non-engagement, including appointment reminders and accompaniment to probation/substance misuse sessions.
- Carry and manage a diverse caseload of adult male prison leavers and those on community orders.
- Complete comprehensive assessments and co-produce SMART action plans with clients.
- Maintain accurate case records on electronic case management systems.
- Work collaboratively with statutory and voluntary agencies, ensuring clients engage with existing provision rather than duplicating services.
- Adhere to performance targets set by Forward and local commissioners.
- Represent the service confidently in custodial settings, being fully vetted and key-holding within prisons.
- Attend training and team meetings at head office or community locations as required.
Essential Skills & Experience
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of the needs of clients in custody and post-release with substance misuse issues.
- Demonstrable experience managing high caseloads, conducting risk assessments, and developing SMART action plans.
- Experience delivering both 1:1 and group interventions using motivational and trauma-informed approaches.
- Background in treatment and/or criminal justice services.
- Ability to establish and maintain professional boundaries.
- Strong partnership working skills to achieve positive outcomes.
- Effective time management and workload prioritisation to meet targets.
- Commitment to equality of opportunity, confidentiality, and GDPR compliance.
- Confident working autonomously within secure environments.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Teams) and electronic case management systems.
- Full driving licence and access to a car (essential for pan-London prison and release meet-and-greet visits).
About Us
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)
When we recruit, we welcome applications from everyone. This is inclusive of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and/or belief, marriage and civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity and socio-economic background. Where operationally possible, we will consider flexible working requests and make reasonable adjustments for all roles.
To find out more about Forward’s commitment to being an inclusive employer and our current EDI strategy click here.
Employee Screening and Eligibility to Work
If successful in your application, you will be required to provide eligibility to work evidence in line with the ‘Eligibility to Work in the UK’ requirements.
