Community Integration Officers - advertised on behalf of BeNCH CRC

Job Introduction

Are you interested in working directly with service users?  Are you interested in playing an important part in changing lives for a safer BeNCH?

BeNCH CRC are currently recruiting Community Integration Officers working in various prisons across the BeNCH Area and also in the local Community. 

If you want to join an innovative, creative and high performing organisation, we offer challenging and rewarding roles and the opportunity to make a positive contribution to reducing reoffending in the BeNCH area. We offer excellent opportunities for personal and professional development and are committed to supportive induction, appraisal and supervision.

Role Responsibility

As a Community Integration Officer, you will work directly with service users managing, supervising and supporting them to address their resettlement needs. You will:

• assess the risk service users pose to the public
• identify service user resettlement needs and support them to achieve community reintegration
• monitor their progress
• help service users to achieve successful completion of resettlement and release plans

The work also involves producing a range of documentation to a high standard as well as liaison with specialist agencies in custody and in the community. You will coordinate activities with other functions and agencies, who are delivering work to reduce service users re-offending.

This is a varied role that will involve resettlement support work delivered on a 1:1 basis and via delivery of group work activity at designated prisons in the BeNCH area and also in the relevant local community. 

The Ideal Candidate

• Have the ability to form constructive and appropriate relationships
• Be able to motivate people to change, often in the face of setbacks
• Be required to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills in 1:1 and group work settings, as well as in dealings with internal and external staff and partnership agencies
• Demonstrate sound judgement, and an ability to resolve complex problems
• Have experience of working with service users
• Have the ability to be assertive when necessary and be resilient when faced with challenging behaviour and competing demands
• Be able to use a range of IT packages to keep records, make assessments and manage risk

Package Description

Starting salary £22,039 per annum

37 hours per week, 27 days holiday + 8 bank holidays, defined contribution pension scheme, company sick pay, group discount scheme.

There is an expectation that operational staff work some evenings and weekends to enable offenders to be supervised without jeopardising their employment.

This involves prison and community  based work where you will be supporting effective release and resettlement into the community. Travel to different locations and working from different locations may be required.

About the Company

The role of BeNCH CRC is to rehabilitate service users, reduce reoffending and protect the public and we are one of six CRCs operated by Sodexo Justice Services in the UK.  We work with offenders both in the community and in custody to deliver the sentence of the court, to rehabilitate them and to provide a range of programmes and interventions to turn their lives around.  We deliver effective offender management and rehabilitation services to low and medium risk offenders and our highly skilled staff work in a range of disciplines to make a real difference.  Our aim is to create a better future for the people we work  with - offenders, victims and their families and local communities.  We are proud to have strong relationships with other criminal justice agencies, local authorities, health trusts, employment and training providers, and work with contracted partners to enhance delivery to our service users.

We serve the counties from 11 locations across BeNCH: Hemel Hempstead, Stevenage, Cheshunt, Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Kettering, Northampton, Wellingborough, Bedford and Luton.  BeNCH CRC is  an Equal Opportunities employer. All applicants are considered on the basis of suitability for the post, irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age or religion.