Family Support Worker

We have opportunities to join our experienced and dedicated Family Services Team working within the visitors’ centre at HMP Highpoint providing a personal welcome for first-time and returning visitors to help them access the services available to them.

HMP Highpoint, part of the main HMP Estate. offers a varied and exciting opportunity to work in a busy yet rewarding environment where no two days are the same. You will be required to obtain and retain enhanced security vetting for this role.

We are seeking Family Support Worker to join the team in providing effective and efficient running of the Visitor Centre, Tea Bar, Play Area in the Prison Visits Hall, assist on Family Days to ensure prisoners and their families have a valuable visiting experience, improving the quality of visits for children, young people and families helping to maintain positive, healthy and supportive family relationships.

Ideally you will have experience of dealing with people in a customer service-based role and be able to demonstrate excellent communication and problem-solving skills sometimes under challenging circumstances whilst embracing a non-judgemental and empathetic work ethic. Experience of providing play activities for children of a range of ages is essential.

Ormiston Families is one of the leading charities working with children, young people, and families in the East of England. We take early and preventative action to support families to be safe, healthy, and resilient.

Responsibilities of a Family Support Worker:

• To obtain prison keys to open and close the Visitors Centre.
• To follow and rules and procedures in the prison and keep up to date with any changes.
• To monitor and maintain the Visitors Centre Reception and book in visitors for all visits to prisoners.
• To maintain the day to day running of the Visitors Centre.
• To provide support and information to the children and families of prisoners as appropriate and signpost to other agencies where needed.
• To support the Cluster Manager/ Senior Family Support Worker with activities for group and/or individual work, in order to achieve identified outcomes for prisoners’ children and families when visiting the prison. This may include one to one work, inductions, parenting courses, story book dads’ and children and family days.
• To maintain the Visitor Centre’s inside and outside play areas, including setting up and tidying away.
• To run play services inside the prison visits hall, organise and maintain toys and activity packs for children in the prison visit halls where required.
• Where appropriate to lead, undertake and/or oversee assessments of need, identifying and agreeing outcomes for individual prisoners and their children and families.
• To ensure all financial procedures and policies are fully met.

Skills and experience of a Family Support Worker:

• Experience of dealing with people in a face-to-face customer service-based role.

• Experience of dealing with people over the telephone in a customer service-based role.

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to communicate effectively to a range of people.

• Excellent attention to detail for recording process, events and systems.

• Diplomatic and able to deal with issues sensitively and with discretion.

Benefits of a Family Support Worker:

• Cycle to work scheme.

• 27 days annual leave (Part-time employees receive a pro-rata allowance according to the number of hours they work per week.).

• Ability to buy or sell up to 5 days annual leave.

• Group life assurance.

• Pension, up to 9% employer contribution when matched by employee.

• Sponsorship opportunities for employees who have completed their probationary period and been in post for at least 12 months to undertake nationally accredited or chartered certification awarded by professional associations.

• Employee assistance programme

• The Hive savings platform

• Your Wellbeing - We have trained Mental Health First Aiders who form our Wellbeing Team, promoting mental and physical health.

• Pets in the workplace - We allow our employees to have certain pets at work, as we believe that pets can foster a friendlier and happier workplace. This is provided that the conditions outlined in our Pets in the Workplace policy are met.

Your base will be the Visitors’ Centre at HMP Highpoint.

We are an equal opportunities employer, we value diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.