About this role
Job summary
We are seeking a compassionate, motivated, and recovery-focused Recovery Support Worker to join the Wellbeing Mental Health and Psychosocial Substance Misuse Team at HMP Eastwood Park.
This rewarding role is centred on delivering psychologically informed interventions to women residing on the prison's Incentivised Substance-Free Living (ISFL) Wing. The successful applicant will provide a range of individual and group-based interventions that promote recovery, wellbeing, resilience, and personal growth. You will work closely alongside prison colleagues, including prison officers, healthcare professionals, and substance misuse practitioners, to support individuals in achieving positive and sustainable change.
The Incentivised Substance-Free Living (ISFL) Wing aims to create a safe, supportive, and recovery-oriented environment for individuals seeking to address or maintain abstinence from substance dependence. The unit is founded on principles of safety, rehabilitation, empowerment, and hope, providing residents with the opportunity to focus on their physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing whilst engaging in meaningful and purposeful activities.
The ISFL operates within a trauma-informed framework, recognising that many individuals in custody have experienced significant adversity, trauma, and complex life experiences. As such, our approach prioritises psychological safety, collaboration, trust, choice, empowerment, and compassion in all interactions.
Main duties of the job
As a Recovery Support Worker, you will:
Deliver psychologically informed one-to-one and group interventions to support recovery and wellbeing
Support the delivery of trauma-informed and, where appropriate, trauma-focused interventions under the supervision of qualified clinicians
Develop therapeutic relationships that empower individuals to identify goals, build strengths, and maximise their potential
Encourage engagement with recovery, wellbeing, and purposeful activities
Support individuals in planning for their future, including preparation for release and community reintegration
Promote positive mental wellbeing through health promotion activities and awareness events, such as World Mental Health Day
Work collaboratively with prison staff and healthcare colleagues to ensure coordinated and effective care
Support qualified practitioners in the smooth and effective delivery of services
HMP Eastwood Park houses up to 442 women and provides a range of specialist services, including:
Incentivised Substance-Free Living Unit
Drug Recovery Community
Mother and Baby Unit
Mental Health Services
Healthcare Clinic
Specialist Therapies Unit
Right to Work in the UK This position is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants must already hold the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application, as the organisation is unable to support sponsorship for this post.
Please see Job Description for full details
About us
We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.
We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.
Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
Job description Job responsibilities
The post holder will provide psychological and psycho social interventions to support service users on the incentivised substance free living wing. The interventions are group and on an individual basis. The ambition of the ISFL is to create a recovery-orientated environment supporting people to address or abstain from their substance dependency. The ethos should focus on prioritising safety, rehabilitation, and support. It should create a space where individuals can focus on their mental and physical well-being and engage in purposeful activities.
For ISFL's to be successful, all staff, prisoners and treatment providers should work together to build a strong drug-resistant culture.
The post holder will perform duties commensurate with band, and in line with relevant professional guidance within the setting. They will also be required to adhere to security and other relevant policies and procedures of our host agencies, HMPS.
With the full and active participation of the client signpost and explore prison resources to develop an action plan designed to promote wellbeing and social inclusion.
A significant part of this role will be working alongside partner agencies; prison and probation colleagues as well as a wide range of statutory and non statutory community services
This is an innovative service that has developed significantly over recent years and continues to develop to ensure it provides an excellent standard of mental health and substance misuse care in a secure and at times, challenging environment.
This role offers an excellent opportunity to develop knowledge and experience in recovery-focused, trauma-informed, and psychologically informed practice within a unique and rewarding environment.
Please see Job Description for full details
Person Specification
Education and qualification Essential
Possession of, or the ability and willingness to work towards, an appropriate Level 5 vocational qualification (Foundation Degree in Mental Health or Health and Social Care)
Desirable
Training in an allied field such as counselling, mediation or advocacy. Training in psychosocial interventions (e.g. CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing). Training in phlebotomy or physical healthcare skill
Experince and Knowledge Essential
Significant experience of working in a mental health setting. Sound knowledge and understanding of mental health issues, taking a positive, nonjudgemental approach towards service users, carers, colleagues and members of the public. Experience of mental health services, as a user, carer, volunteer or worker.
Desirable
Sound understanding of the Care Programme Approach and its application. Experience of teaching / training individuals or groups. Experience of working in a customer care environment, (e.g. an Advice Centre, Telephone Helpline or Advocacy Service)
skills and abilities Essential
Written communication skills, with the ability to contribute to written reports, maintain accurate records and interpret relevant clinical information effectively. IT skills: ability to use email, Microsoft word and basic clinical records databases. Ability to manage own workload in and effective and timely manner.
Skills and abilities Essential
Ability to form and sustain a trusting relationship with service users/carers
Skills and abilities Essential
Ability to articulate and demonstrate compassionate, recovery-focused care that values diversity and equality.
Skills and abilities Essential
Team-working skills, and ability to function effectively and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary setti
Other requirements Essential
Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and ability to cope with behaviour which may be challenging at times.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details Employer name Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Address HMP Eastwood Park
Falfield
GL12 8DB
United Kingdom
Employer's website http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)