Emotional Resilience in prisons – sessional group leaders wanted

Samaritans has been asked to lead an exciting new project by HMPPS. We will be providing weekly two-hour workshops for new prisoners in two prisons in London as part of a pilot programme. The sessions will focus on how to stay emotionally well during a prison sentence. We are recruiting up to 15 ex-offenders, ideally with experience as a Samaritans Listener during their time in prison, to run these sessions in two pilot prisons HMP Wandsworth and HMP Wormwood Scrubs.

We are looking for people who want to make a difference to prisoners’ lives. You will run sessions using a set of materials developed by Samaritans and will be given full support and training in how to deliver the sessions and draw on your own experiences of prison life in doing that.

No prior skills in training or group leading are required, Samaritans will provide you with full training to deliver the workshops and provide support and supervision on a regular basis. We would prefer that facilitators have had experience as Samaritan’s Listeners. You will need good communication skills and be confident when talking to strangers. This is a great opportunity to gain some valuable new skills and work experience and make a difference to the lives of new prisoners.

Successful applicants will be required to apply for clearance to enter prisons (Samaritans will support you with this process) and be paid on a sessional basis (£120 per session). You will also be paid to attend your training sessions. We anticipate sessions running between September 2017 and March 2018. With the training taking place in August or September. To apply please complete the application form.

If you have any questions about the role or your suitability you can contact Britte Van Tiem() or Kandy Woodfield () at Samaritans (0)20 8394 8300 for an informal discussion.

Person specification

Knowledge & experience
Personal experience of serving a prison sentence in an adult male jail / You must have experience of having served a prison sentence in the last 15 years providing you with knowledge about the prison system and daily life inside a prison
Please note that you should not have served time in either HMP Wandsworth or HMP Wormwood Scrubs in the last 18 months.
Experience as a Samaritans Listener in prison/ and or experience / You should have experience as a Samaritans Listener, ideally during your time in prison.
Skills and abilities
Confidence / The ability to be confident in front of a group of strangers.
Communication skills / The ability to communicate clearly with people from all walks of life
Self-awareness / The ability to recognise the impact you have through your communication style and body language
Resilience / The ability to bounce back in difficult situations and keep yourself emotionally well
Empathy / The ability to understand and share the feelings of others
Tolerant and inclusive / The ability to treat all people equally regardless of race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, sexual orientation or disability.
Openness / Willing to share your own experiences of prison life, emotional wellbeing and resilience with others

Role description

Emotional Resilience in prisons – sessional group leader

Group leaders will be responsible for:

  • Attending a two-day training session led by Samaritans which will focus on group facilitation skills, training skills and delivery approaches for the emotional resilience workshops
  • Attending additional security training
  • Agreeing to a specified set of dates to deliver sessions in HMP Wandsworth and HMP Wormwood Scrubs
  • Being fully prepared for each of their sessions, knowing the course materials and providing feedback at regular monthly supervision meetings
  • Delivering a specified number of two-hour sessions on emotional resilience to new prisoner intakes at the pilot prisons
  • Collecting and submitting information on participation (participant lists etc)
  • Participating in regular telephone support and supervision sessions, reflecting on their own performance and evaluating the success of workshops they have led
  • Participating in an end of pilot evaluation on the success of the pilot project
  • Maintaining positive relationships with relevant prison staff, Listeners and Samaritans volunteers and staff in the prison.

To apply, please complete our application form and return it either by email or by post: / HR Department, Samaritans, The Upper Mill, Kingston Road, Epsom, Surrey, KT17 2AF.

Deadline for applications: Friday 30th June 2017.