Location:    Dublin, primarily based in Mountjoy/ Dochas,  with possible travel to surrounding counties

Responsible/Reporting to:    Head of Services, HAIL

Job purpose:    To support  individuals  in accessing appropriate accommodation in the community on release from custody

Salary Scale:    €36,612- €45,724

Job Information:    This is a fixed-term contract for 2 years with the possibility this may be extended.  It is full-time post, 35 hours per week - 9.00 – 5.00 Monday to Friday. Please note this role will require some evening and occasional weekend work and flexibility may be required

About HAIL

HAIL is an Approved Housing Body with a strong reputation in providing both quality housing and floating support services to people with mental health difficulties in their own homes across Dublin, Kildare, Laois and Louth. 

HAIL’s vision is to be the provider of choice for housing and support for people with mental health difficulties, enabling them to achieve and sustain independent living in the community by having secure, quality, affordable accommodation with appropriate support services tailored to their needs. 

HAIL’s mission is to provide housing and individually tailored support services to support tenants and clients, primarily those with mental health difficulties, to integrate and live independent lives in the community. 

Role Description

This position entails working across two prisons as part of mental health In-reach multi-disciplinary teams.  It would suit a motivated individual with excellent self-management competences.  You will work as part of the Prison In-Reach and Court Liaison Service (PICLS) team to work with individuals with mental illness who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness when leaving Mountjoy and Docas prisons and to provide advocacy and support to enable a smooth transition into suitable accommodation in the community.

Key Roles and Responsibilities – Client Support and Advocacy 

• To work as part of the PICLS team as a housing and accommodation specialist, focusing on clients with mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness when leaving Mountjoy and Dochas prisons
• To complete housing needs assessments with each individual referred to the service in order to identify their support needs regarding accommodation on release
• To perform as a member of the multidisciplinary PICLS team; attending team meetings and inter-agency meetings in order to contribute to the holistic care-planning for each individual referred to the service
• To support and advocate for clients with relevant statutory and voluntary agencies in order to achieve best housing outcomes for each individual when released to the community
• To support clients in completing any applications/referral forms that will assist in their release plan
• To liaise with the client’s legal team in order to coordinate an appropriate release plan 
• To ensure clients have relevant information on housing and welfare benefits on release from prison; providing advice and support when required
• To liaise with families of clients when relevant or appropriate to their release plan
• To coordinate professional visits and multi-agency meetings with the client and relevant agencies where this is conducive to a positive housing outcome 
• To attend court appearances as appropriate
• To liaise with CWO as required to arrange appointments regarding social welfare payments on release
• To provide initial post-release support and advocacy to support clients to sustain their tenancy for an agreed period of time depending on client need

Key Roles and Responsibilities - Stakeholder Engagement & Management

• To develop and maintain positive working relationships with relevant homeless services, housing support services and Local Authorities , in order to ensure, where possible, that each individual has appropriate accommodation and housing support on release
• To liaise with  homeless services, community mental health teams and other support services post release, regarding each individual’s release plan in order to contribute to a positive transition from prison to the community and support their recovery
• To work closely with Forensics Mental Health services in the prison to plan and implement appropriate housing goals and access to other relevant support services
• To represent HAIL at multi-disciplinary and sector meetings as required.

Key Roles and Responsibilities - Administrative and Other Duties

• To maintain high quality and secure confidential records of client progress in line with GDPR and HAIL policies and procedures 
• To utilise agreed client data recording systems to record client service admission, interventions and relevant subsequent outcomes 
• To ensure each client has a completed Needs Assessment, Risk Assessment, Support Plan, and all associated documentation which is kept regularly under review
• To assist the Head of Services/ line manager in the collation of monthly statistics and any other information as required by the funder
• To attend and actively participate in internal/external meetings, training events, conferences and other functions as directed by line manager/ Head of Service 
• To participate in and co-ordinate the delivery of research on behalf of the organisation
• To work closely with other projects within HAIL to promote the PICLS service and to actively build positive professional connections 
• To participate in regular supervision and annual appraisal, and help in identifying your own job-related development and training needs
• To ensure that all HAIL policies and procedures are being adhered to, particularly those relating to Health and Safety, Complaints, Code of Practice and Confidentiality and GDPR.

Person Specification 

Key requirements for the positions of Prison In-Reach Housing Support Worker are; 

Qualifications

• If you are interested in joining our team you must have at least 3 years experience in Homeless/Housing services and/ or specific relevant experience of more than 3 years in Mental Health support.
• Applicants should hold a recognised and relevant 3rd level qualification such as RPN/Social Worker and/or FETAC Level 7/8 Qualification in Social Care, or other relevant qualification.

Experience, Knowledge & Skills  

The Applicant must have proficient experience, knowledge and skills in the following areas to be deemed suitable for this position.

Essential:

• Experience (3 years+) of working with people with mental health and other complex needs, or 
• Extensive experience (3 years+) of the homeless/housing sector 
• Experience of working with clients in their transition to independent living and a working knowledge of Tenancy Sustainment and/or Housing Resettlement Models 
• Experience in developing individual case management strategies and plans for service users with complex needs and the ability to manage a challenging workload
• Experience of completing Client Centred Assessments & Risk Assessments and implementing appropriate safety measures 
• Ability to set clear objectives and put goals in place using a consistent approach to care planning around the needs of those presenting with multiple care and support needs 
• A working knowledge of Life Skills Mapping and/or Recovery Orientated Programmes (WRAP/STAR) 
• A working knowledge of the criminal justice system and housing law as this relates to a tenant’s rights and responsibilities 
• Knowledge of Welfare entitlements 
• Ability to manage challenging behaviour and risk de-escalation appropriately
• Ability to take initiative and responsibility 
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrate working knowledge of I.T based programmes such as Excel, Power Point AND Word Processing
• Ability to formulate and structure research-based documents and present them to colleagues and funders   

Desirable:

• Experience of working in the criminal justice system
• Experience and competencies in trauma informed practice and/or experience of working with women who have a history of being involved in the criminal justice system and of their related support needs.

Conditions

• The Salary will be commensurate with the experience of the individual appointed and in line with the Organisations salary scale.

Appointment

• Posts will be filled immediately 
• All contracts are subject to successful completion of six-month probationary period
• Use of a car and a full driving license is essential 
• Please note this post is funded by the HSE and is subject to a Service Level Agreement.