Health & Wellbeing Practitioner

Health & Wellbeing Practitioner

Location:

Hertfordshire
Salary: £26,000 per annum
We are looking for a committed and compassionate Health and Wellbeing Practitioner to join our team, supporting people in prison to make positive and sustainable changes to their lives.
Working within an integrated healthcare framework, you will provide client-centred support to prisoners experiencing substance misuse, low-level mental health and wider health and wellbeing needs. You will use both harm reduction and abstinence-based approaches, tailoring your interventions to the individual needs, circumstances and goals of each client.
You will manage a caseload and take responsibility for completing comprehensive assessments, risk assessments and SMART care plans, ensuring that clients receive appropriate, personalised support throughout their journey.
Your day-to-day responsibilities will include:
 
* Providing harm reduction advice, guidance and interventions.
 
* Completing comprehensive assessments, risk assessments and SMART care plans.
 
* Delivering structured 1:1 and therapeutic group-work sessions covering substance misuse and low-level mental health.
 
* Using psychosocial interventions and motivational interviewing techniques to support positive behaviour change.
 
* Supporting clients to develop their recovery goals and build the skills and resilience needed for life beyond prison.
 
* Providing effective transitional and through care support to prepare clients for release into the community.
 
* Working closely with internal and external services to ensure continuity of care and effective integration.
 
* Maintaining accurate, timely and high-quality case notes and records.
 
* Contributing to service targets and outcomes set by Forward and local commissioners.
 
* Producing high-quality progress reports for clients where required, tailored appropriately to the intended audience.
Partnership working is central to this role. You will work collaboratively with a range of services, including Transitional Services, Housing, Employment, Gym, Healthcare, Probation and external Drugs Intervention Teams. By building strong relationships with these services, you will help ensure that clients have the practical and emotional support they need to successfully transition from prison back into the community.
This is a rewarding opportunity to make a genuine difference to people’s lives, supporting individuals to address substance misuse, improve their mental health and wellbeing, and take positive steps towards recovery and resettlement.
About You
We are looking for someone who is passionate about supporting people affected by substance misuse and low-level mental health needs and who understands the challenges faced by individuals within the criminal justice system.
You will have significant experience of working in substance misuse and/or mental health services, with the ability to build trusting, professional relationships with clients and deliver effective interventions in both 1:1 and group settings.
You will be confident undertaking assessments, identifying and managing risk, developing SMART care plans and delivering structured psychosocial interventions. You will be able to use motivational interviewing techniques effectively to engage clients, encourage positive change and support their individual recovery journeys.
We are particularly looking for someone with:
 
* Knowledge of the issues affecting people who misuse substances and those experiencing low-level mental health difficulties.
 
* Excellent experience of working in a related substance misuse and/or mental health field.
 
* Demonstrable experience of completing risk assessments and comprehensive assessments, alongside designing and implementing SMART care…