Prison Link Worker - The Forward Trust : Job Details

Prison Link Worker

Location: North West London - predominately HMP Pentonville and HMP Wormwood Scrubs

Salary: £25,207 per annum

Vacancy Type: Permanent, Full Time

Closing Date: 9th September 2025

About The Role

Make a meaningful impact at the critical point of transition - from custody to community.

We are looking for a dedicated Prison Link Worker to join our Dependency and Recovery Service, working directly with adult male clients in HMP Wormwood Scrubs and HMP Pentonville prior to release, and continuing support as they reintegrate into the community.

In this hybrid, in-person role, you will work as part of a flexible, multi-disciplinary team to ensure a smooth transition through the gate. Your goal will be to provide wraparound, tailored support that improves continuity of care, builds motivation, and reduces the risk of relapse or reoffending.

Key Responsibilities:

• Engage with clients in prison settings prior to release and continue support post-release in the community.
• Provide enhanced support for clients with a history of non-engagement, including meet-and-greet on release, daily contact, appointment reminders, and accompanying clients to probation and treatment services.
• Assess and manage risks during the transition period, including treatment drop-out and overdose.
• Liaise closely with prison-based substance misuse teams and offender managers to create and review release plans.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records on electronic case management systems.
• Support clients in accessing and sustaining engagement with statutory and voluntary services.
• Work autonomously within custodial settings, carrying keys and building effective relationships with prison staff and partner organisations.
• Promote recovery journeys that lead to reduced dependency, increased stability, and desistance from offending behaviour

All probation-based roles will require enhanced DBS and HMPPS security vetting. Please note this process can take up to 3 months. All offers are subject to receiving both HMPPS vetting and DBS clearances.

• Checks will require you to provide information on the below:
• Yourself (personal information, financial information, police information, criminal history)
• Your family (parents, parents' partners, siblings, partner(s), children)
• Co-residents
• Associations that may cause a conflict of interest with your role or the prison service.
• Background checks across police information systems on you, your family and other associates
• Credit reference checks
• Social media and Open-Source checks (these are checks on content about you that's publicly available on the internet to ensure there's nothing linked to you that could undermine public trust and confidence in the prison service)
• Other government and overseas agency or police checks

The Ideal Candidate

We are ideally looking for someone with the knowledge, skills and experience listed below.

• A thorough knowledge and understanding of the needs of clients within custody and post release, who have substance mis-use issues
• Demonstrable experience of managing high caseloads, carrying out risk/ comprehensive assessments, SMART action plans and effective case records
• Experience of delivering both 1:1 and group-work interventions using motivational techniques and trauma informed approaches
• Experience of working with treatment and/or criminal justice services
• The ability to set and stick to professional boundaries
• Ability to work effectively with key partners in order to successfully deliver outcomes
• Demonstrate the ability to organise workload , ensuring effective time management and prioritisation to meet targets
• Understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of equal opportunity and GDPR requirements including client confidentiality
• Driving licence and access to a car ( the role will require visits to all prisons in and provide meet and greet for release)
• Ability to work autonomously and confidently in a secure setting

About Us

We are The Forward Trust, 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.

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)

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for the Forward Trust, please click apply to be redirected to their website to complete your application.