Assertive Outreach Worker

Change Grow Live are a charity dedicated to the belief that we can make a difference to our Service Users lives, offering support and respect in a safe environment, treating each user as an individual and working with them to find the right treatment and care options. 

Our core values are ‘Be open, be compassionate and be bold’ and our team members apply these daily to achieve our mission of helping people change the direction of their lives, grow as individuals, and live life to its full potential. 

We are seeking a motivated and compassionate Assertive Outreach Prison Worker to engage with people in custody who have complex needs and are often disengaged from mainstream services. This role involves proactive, person‑centred outreach to build trusting relationships and support individuals to access relevant health, social care, and wellbeing services.

The post holder will carry out assessments, contribute to care and risk management plans, and provide practical and emotional support throughout an individual’s time in custody and in preparation for release. Working collaboratively with prison staff, healthcare teams, probation services, and community partners, the role plays a key part in promoting continuity of care and reducing health inequalities.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a confident, trauma‑informed and non‑judgemental approach, with strong communication skills and the ability to work assertively within a challenging custodial environment.

Where: HMP Bristol 

Full Time Hours: 37.5 per week 

Contract Type: Permanent 

Please note: Full-time hours at Change Grow Live are 37.5 hours per week. For part-time roles, the salary and payments will be pro rata based on contracted hours. 

Salary is subject to review in line with the 2025/26 pay award

• Supporting service users from point of entry into the service and through their treatment/recovery journey 

• Providing screening, assessment, and recovery planning and onward referral 

• Reducing drug and alcohol related harm to service users and the wider community 

• Promoting carer, service user and community involvement 

• Providing advocacy for access to partnership services 

• Working with service users to support social (re)integration, enabling them to lead meaningful and purposeful lives: promoting recovery, resilience, peer support and self-determination 

• Research, design and prepare subject matter and materials for pods. 

• Deliver structured content within group settings to service users at various stages of recovery 

• Engage with debriefing and evaluations with co-facilitators after groups/pods have taken place, reviewing progress and identifying concerns with service users 

• Tailor specific interventions around the needs of the service users.

About you: 

• Have a strong understanding of substance misuse issues and experience of working within a similar field 

• Experience of working with groups/pods and managing group dynamics, such as conflict or challenging behaviour. 

• Be an excellent communicator, both verbal and written with good IT skills 

• Proactive and able to work on own initiative with excellent time management and prioritising skills 

• Have a good working knowledge of mental health interventions, services, and good practice 

• Be a supportive team player with strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work in partnership with a wide range of professionals, agencies, and internal/external stakeholders 

• Ability to manage change successfully in a way that prioritises the needs of service users 

• Understand the importance of information governance processes and commit to follow and apply all necessary safeguards 

• Seek out learning opportunities to improve and broaden your professional knowledge and skills and to contribute and oversee the learning and development of others 

What we will give to you: 

• 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays. Additionally, you'll receive one extra day of annual leave for each year of service during your first five years, therefore you will enjoy 30 days of leave after five years with us

• Paid ‘Wellness’ hour each week along with a ‘Wellness’ hub and Employee Assist Programme 

• Contributory pension scheme 

• Several benefits incl. discounts for shopping, cinema, holidays, etc. 

• A friendly and supportive team 

• Training, career development & progression opportunities 

• Generous Refer-a-Friend Scheme 

Please ensure that when completing your application form and supporting statement, you reflect on the details outlined in the job description. This will help us understand how your skills and experiences align with the requirements of the role. 

If you require sponsorship, please note that this role is not eligible for a Health and Care Worker visa. You may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route but must meet the minimum salary requirements for the role. 

We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if we receive a high number of applications, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.