Custody Support Worker

Salary:  £28,755
Location: HMP Stoke Heath

Contract: Full Time Permanent

Rebuilding your life after a custodial sentence is one of the toughest challenges a person can face. But with the right support, it’s possible. We’re looking for a dedicated Case Worker to join our team - someone with a rare mix of compassion, resilience, organisation and flexibility. This is for the person who understands that rehabilitation isn't just about offering advice; it’s about rolling up your sleeves and pro-actively supporting someone on their journey

About the Role:

In this role, you'll work within the prison, providing one-to-one support to a caseload of participants as they prepare for release. You will generally work with those in the last 12 weeks of their sentence, you will support them to be ready to re-enter society and support to overcome barriers, build confidence, and take meaningful steps toward rehabilitation, promoting engagement with our community hubs post release.

You will work closely with pre-release teams and the through the gate teams, ensuring participants are fully supported in their transition.

This is a demanding yet deeply rewarding role. You'll be working in a challenging environment with individuals who have complex needs and may be hesitant to engage. However, when you help someone break the cycle and take real steps toward transforming their life, the impact is truly life-changing—for them and for you. 

What You'll Be Doing:

• Relationship Building: Foster genuine, trusting, and non-judgemental relationships with participants, creating a safe space for personal growth
• 121 Support: You will be setting and reviewing goals while ensuring accurate and timely recording
• Action Planning:  You will formulate a detailed action plan identifying specific needs and barriers and identifying the support they need to support their transition.
• Caseload management: You'll manage multiple individuals, balancing their needs while keeping up with all the related admin.
• Stakeholder Engagement: You will support participants from all areas of the prison. You will be generating referrals to the programme and building your caseloads, so ability to influence and engage with the wider prison community is key.

What We are Looking For:

• Communication Skills: You’ll have the ability to engage, motivate, persuade, and listen—building strong connections with those you support and stakeholders you work alongside.
• Safeguarding awareness: You are supporting complex individuals at a challenging time in their lives and will need to be able to identify any safeguarding risks. You will be fully supported following any challenging interventions.
• IT and Administrative skills: Keeping meticulous records of every interaction to measure client progress and ensure effective interventions.
• Resilience: This role can be challenging, and results may take time, but you are the kind of person who stays committed and sees things through.

Ingeus is a leading human services provider helping people, business and communities thrive through employment, skills and health & wellbeing services. We are a trusted partner to government and industry delivering services that create positive social impact and transform lives

Whilst we welcome applications from those with lived experience, this role requires an enhanced DBS check and HMPPS EL1 vetting. Due to the time required to complete these checks, successful candidates will be offered a start date at least 6 weeks from the point of job offer. This should allow sufficient time for all necessary pre-employment clearances to be obtained

Our Justice division is dedicated to transforming lives and creating safer communities. Our mission is to reduce reoffending, build stronger communities, and help people realise their potential.

At Ingeus, we’ve spent time listening to our employees to build our benefits package;

• 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to trade for additional leave.
• EAP Support programme available 24/7, including 6 free counselling sessions.
• Private medical insurance and life assurance.
• Up to 2 days of Community Giving (volunteering) each year to support a cause that matters to you.
• Eyecare vouchers to help with glasses or eye care.
• Online Shopping discounts
• Cycle to Work scheme and travel season ticket loan.
• Long service awards to celebrate your commitment.
• Salary Finance offering financial education and advice.
• The opportunity to purchase extra benefits like critical illness cover and dental insurance.

We understand that everyone’s journey is different, and we’re committed to making our recruitment process as inclusive and accessible as possible. If you require any support or adjustments—whether that’s help with the application, interview format, or anything else—we’re here to listen and work with you to find the best approach.

Our goal is to ensure you can showcase your skills and potential in a way that works for you. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at careers@ingeus.co.uk to discuss how we can support you

If you think you have what it takes, don't delay and apply today – We may shortlist and conduct interviews before the closing date and if we receive enough applications this role may close early.