Prison Accommodation Adviser (Ref: PAA-252)

Are you a proactive, collaborative and compassionate individual with a proven track record of working with services/clients within the criminal justice sector, accommodation and advice/support services? 

Looking for an exciting new career opportunity?

If so, join St Giles as a Prison Accommodation Adviser, a key role where you will be required to provide tailored accommodation support to men in custody and under probation supervision in the community, with the aim of supporting them to overcome barriers to obtaining secure and stable accommodation so that they can successfully reintegrate into society.

About St Giles Trust 

An ambitious, well-established charity that helps people facing adversity to find jobs, homes and the right support they need.  

Central to our ethos is our belief that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement, hold the key to positive change in others.

About this exciting opportunity

Our successful candidate will complete an Initial Needs Assessment, using a strength-based approach within agreed contractual timeframes, before dynamically assessing need and risk, alerting to changes that could indicate change in risk or serious harm, including personal safety and safeguarding.  

You will be expected to contribute to the design and delivery of an effective accommodation plan which is solution focused and practical, and to advise and support Service Users to achieve outcomes informed by your specialist housing knowledge and comprehensive understanding of accommodation and local service provision.

We will rely on you to engage with and motivate challenging service users from a diverse range of backgrounds, often with multiple and complex needs, while also maintaining and building new relationships with both social and private housing providers to improve sustainable housing outcomes for our service users, and promoting effective working relationships within the criminal justice sector.

Monitoring progress and recording on digital systems, plus coordinating and facilitating interactive group work sessions, are also key duties.

What we are looking for

• Experience of working as part of a high-performing team
• Experience of using digital technology and providing evidence for external audit purposes
• Demonstrable knowledge of housing and an understanding of the main issues affecting homelessness and rehabilitation of offenders
• A detailed understanding of the Homelessness Reduction Act
• An understanding of how staff with lived experience can provide additional value
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge and awareness of the issues faced by our client group
• Sound knowledge of the UK criminal justice system
• Full UK Driving Licence preferred with access to a vehicle for work
• Excellent prioritisation, interpersonal and communication skills, both verbal and written

As an organisation that works with children and adults at risk we are committed to safeguarding, protecting and promoting the safety of our clients and successful applicants will require an Enhanced Child and Adult with Child Barred DBS Check.

We actively encourage people with personal experience of the criminal justice system or lived experience of the issues facing this client group to apply for this role.

In return, you can expect a competitive salary, generous leave allowance, staff pension, flexible working, a mentoring programme, an advice and counselling service, clinical therapist sessions, life insurance (4 x annual salary), duvet days, season ticket loan, employee perks programme, eye care voucher and much more.

We are an equity and inclusion confident employer. We welcome all applications and we particularly encourage applications from people of the global majority (black, brown, multi- heritage) and those who identify as disabled, neuro-expansive, neuro-diverse, with any protected characteristics and/or social barriers or challenges. We value the empowering and informative impact that all lived experiences and diversity of thought can offer the organisation.

St Giles will guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria set out in the Job Description for the vacancy.