Lived Experience Engagement Coordinator

Are you driven by making a difference to people with convictions and their families? Do you want to help make sure their voices are heard, and acted on?

Pact has been commissioned to run a new Lived Experience Engagement Service across the Southwest Probation Region. It puts a monthly forum in every Probation Delivery Unit, so people on probation can say what is and is not working and see what changes as a result. One postholder will have a base within this region and will be required to travel across Bath and North East Somerset, Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire, Gloucestershire, Swindon and Wiltshire, and another postholder will have a base within this region and will be required to travel across Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Devon and Torbay, Dorset, and Plymouth.

This is a job with two halves. You will be in the room, running forums, small groups and one-to-one sessions, and making them feel safe enough for people to be honest with you. You will also be the person who makes all of it work behind the scenes: managing referrals from probation practitioners, booking accessible venues, keeping accurate records, and producing the monthly and quarterly reports our commissioners rely on.

The service must reach people who do not usually get heard. Women, young adults, people with additional needs, and people in rural and coastal areas where simply getting to a session is not straightforward. Part of your job is noticing who is not in the room and doing something about it.

You will run a “You Said, We Did” process, so every piece of feedback is tracked through to an answer. Over your first year you will also start building a group of peer facilitators from among the people who attend, so that in time the forums are co-led by people who have been through probation themselves.

This role involves travel, so a full UK driving licence is essential.

About you

You do not need to have done this exact job before, but you will need to be credible with people on probation and reliable with detail.

· A Level 3 qualification, or equivalent experience, in a relevant field such as business administration, information advice and guidance, data or information management, criminal justice, community development, participation or co-production

· A good understanding of the criminal justice system, probation practice and the barriers people on probation face, gained through work, volunteering, study or your own lived experience

· Experience of engaging people with complex needs, including people involved in the criminal justice system

· Experience of coordinating meetings, groups or events across more than one site, and of keeping accurate records and producing reports

· Confidence capturing feedback, spotting themes and turning them into practical recommendations

· A clear understanding of professional boundaries, confidentiality, safeguarding and risk escalation

· A full UK driving licence

What we offer:

Pact offers a range of benefits including a free advice, information and counselling service, contributory pension, corporate eye care scheme, cycle to work scheme and generous holiday entitlement. You will have the opportunity to attend training events to further develop yourself as a professional training and interventions worker. You will undergo a thorough induction process and be supported by a friendly and enthusiastic team.

How to apply:

If you feel that you meet the requirements of this exciting new role, please complete an application form by clicking the ‘apply now’ button.

*We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Other information:

Pact is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all applications including those with a criminal conviction (appointment to post is subject to a risk assessment).

This post is subject to a 20 week probationary period, verification of identity and proven right to work in the UK, satisfactory references from previous employers covering a 3-year period, declaration of any unspent criminal convictions (and where appropriate a satisfactory risk assessment), Prison Vetting and a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Please note that being bankrupt or having County Court Judgements may affect your ability to be successfully vetted to work in a prison.